Why legalizing marijuana is “thinking about the children”
Want to Protect the Children - Legalize Marijuana Federally from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
We’ve heard it time and time again, “Think about the children” as your typical Helen Lovejoy shouts from the back of the room when talking about marijuana legalization. The notion that legalizing marijuana today will increase child consumption of the substance has been debunked many times over, however we still hear the same watered down argument appear in most cannabis debates.
The problem with the argument is that it is fundamentally flawed by thinking that “prohibiting a substance” will do anything in regards to deterring use. If 45 years of drug war has taught us anything, if you prohibit a substance, use increases.
More importantly, if you were truly thinking about the children you would advocate legalizing and regulating all drugs, not just cannabis. Some of you might be like, “not Heroin, heroin shouldn’t be legal!” however further below I’ll illustrate how even legalizing harsh drugs such as heroin at a certain level will help drive down consumption and actually better protect the beloved little “children” the Lovejoys of the world are so worried about.
Dealers don’t card
The first point we’re going to be making is that dealers don’t care about age. Unlike legal establishments that have licenses, dealers could care less about carding youngsters. They are already breaking the law by selling an illegal substance, taking that extra step to ensure that their buyers are of the “right age” is not their concern.
Under a legalized system, sanctioned establishments would make it a priority to card those not qualified to access cannabis legally. This in turn will make it much more difficult for a kid to get their hands on weed. Sure, some kids will steal their parent’s stash, however we don’t ban alcohol because your kids raided your liquor cabinet now do we?
Kids don’t go out to the streets to buy booze either, because for the most part…no store would rightfully sell to them. The same would go for cannabis.
The Illegal Market will Shrink
You’ll never truly be able to weed out the illegal market, however you can significantly reduce its size.
We don’t see many bootleg alcohol sellers out there these days because the legal alcohol market dwarfed profit margins. Your moonshine won’t compete against the big brands out there and even if you do manage to get a few sales here and there, most people will still find it more convenient to go to the store and pick up a branded bottle of booze.
Similarly, we have already seen an effect on the illegal market in terms of marijuana. A kilo of Mexican brick weed used to cost $90, nowadays it’s hovering at the $35 range. Meaning that even though cannabis isn’t fully legal in all States, it has already taken a big chunk of profits away from cartels.
Eventually the street dealers will vanish similar to the bootleggers under a legalized system.
Shutting the Gate on the “Gateway”
Some people claim that marijuana is a gateway drug. This is wrong. Prohibition is the only real gateway we have. By lumping all drugs into one category of “illegal”, when someone buys marijuana from a street dealer, they could easily be introduced to a whole new world of drugs.
Thus, legalizing cannabis would separate the substance from the other drugs on the market, meaning that the chance of a kid “progressing from marijuana to other drugs” would be greatly diminished.
True Education is the only way
Finally, I reiterate my point on the fact that all drugs should be legal. Yes! Even Heroin! Currently, drug policy leaves the manufacturing, distribution and quality control in the hands of cartels. You never know the true purity and strength of the drugs you purchase on the streets. By legalizing and regulating all drugs, creating a legal avenue to gain access to it, you have control over these factors.
Now in terms of these “harder drugs”, I wouldn’t flat out legalize them and sell them in 7-11s. Rather, I would create a specific framework and requirements to access these drugs. If you’re an addict, you should be able to gain access to it with the condition that you will receive “talks and assistance” about addiction and recovery. I’m not going to dive into my perfect drug policy today, however this should give you an idea on what I’m referring to.
Education is the key to sensible drug consumption. Under prohibition, we’re essentially allowing kids to experiment on drugs without guidance, and then when shit hits the fan, we wonder why they didn’t know any better.
Perhaps it’s our job to educate them properly and grow up with the knowledge that some people will take drugs regardless if it’s legal or not. It’s the grown up thing to do.
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