Pondering pot and patrol fleets
I think it’s fair to say that Canada isn’t one of the world’s winningest countries. With a couple of exceptions (hockey and Olympic fourth-place showings) we tend to suck when it comes to international competitions. However, it now appears that Canadians have a new record to be proud of. According to a report in today’s Globe and Mail, Canadians use marijuana 4 times more than any other developed country, with 16.8 per cent of 15-64 year-olds having smoked in 2006. The world average for that same stat is 3.8 per cent.
Now, I don’t actually smoke pot myself – I think I hit my lifetime quota sometime in university, or at least that's what severe paranoia led me to believe – but it seems to me that the smartest thing that Canada could do would be to profit off our nation’s predilection for puffing. If marijuana was legalized, it could then be regulated (and taxed) like other intoxicating/toxic substances – alcohol and tobacco to be specific. That butts and booze are potentially more dangerous than pot is a very easy argument to make. One could even argue that maintaining pot’s illegal status is a bit like closing the barn doors after all the animals are chain-smoking alcoholics. Why not let them get high as well?
And just think of all the goodies that federal pot revenues could buy: Harper could fix health care, make university free, pay off the Taliban... and all because Canadians like to get baked.
On a related note- also in today’s Globe is a report about Harper’s plans to protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic by spending $3.1 billion for a patrol fleet capable of operating in metre-thick ice. Add to this an additional $4.3 billion to build and maintain the ships over their lifespan, and apparently we will be safe from the evil Danes who apparently pose some sort of threat to our nation. Move over Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there’s a new territorial dispute in town. If Canadians knew that this 7 billion-dollar venture were to be paid for with pot revenues, perhaps it wouldn’t seem like such a colossally stupid waste of money.
I think it’s fair to say that Canada isn’t one of the world’s winningest countries. With a couple of exceptions (hockey and Olympic fourth-place showings) we tend to suck when it comes to international competitions. However, it now appears that Canadians have a new record to be proud of. According to a report in today’s Globe and Mail, Canadians use marijuana 4 times more than any other developed country, with 16.8 per cent of 15-64 year-olds having smoked in 2006. The world average for that same stat is 3.8 per cent.
Now, I don’t actually smoke pot myself – I think I hit my lifetime quota sometime in university, or at least that's what severe paranoia led me to believe – but it seems to me that the smartest thing that Canada could do would be to profit off our nation’s predilection for puffing. If marijuana was legalized, it could then be regulated (and taxed) like other intoxicating/toxic substances – alcohol and tobacco to be specific. That butts and booze are potentially more dangerous than pot is a very easy argument to make. One could even argue that maintaining pot’s illegal status is a bit like closing the barn doors after all the animals are chain-smoking alcoholics. Why not let them get high as well?
And just think of all the goodies that federal pot revenues could buy: Harper could fix health care, make university free, pay off the Taliban... and all because Canadians like to get baked.
On a related note- also in today’s Globe is a report about Harper’s plans to protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic by spending $3.1 billion for a patrol fleet capable of operating in metre-thick ice. Add to this an additional $4.3 billion to build and maintain the ships over their lifespan, and apparently we will be safe from the evil Danes who apparently pose some sort of threat to our nation. Move over Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there’s a new territorial dispute in town. If Canadians knew that this 7 billion-dollar venture were to be paid for with pot revenues, perhaps it wouldn’t seem like such a colossally stupid waste of money.
posted by Emma Jo Aiken-Klar, PhD at 5:23 PM
2 Comments:
Rejoice! Our savior has returned! Hail the conquering hero! Or should I say "inhale"?
Fondly yours.
Howdy,
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