Canadian Marijuana Prohibition essays

Canadian Marijuana Prohibition essays The time has come to end the war on marijuana. As almost every Canadian knows, marijuana is illegal, and has been since 1920. But why did they outlaw this plant? It could not have been simply because it was bad, actually Canadian marijuana prohibition originated in anti-Chinese racism. In the early 1920s Maclean's ran a series of articles by Emily Murphy, which were compiled into a book called The Black Candle. The book was very popular and almost solely responsible for marijuana prohibition in Canada. At one point Emily Murphy explains whom she blames for the marijuana peril: ``An addict who died this year in British Columbia told how he was frequently jeered at as a `white man accounted for.' The Chinese peddlers taunted him with their superiority at being able to sell the dope without using it, and by telling him how the yellow race would rule the world. E Murphy The criminal prohibition is an anachronism from the 1920s that is no longer appropriate for our society. The continued persecution of marijuana smokers is harmful and destructive to our Canadian society. Most Canadians agree that marijuana is a valuable herbal medicine which should not be exterminated. It's time to end Canada's war on marijuana and cannabis culture. 65% or two-thirds of Canadian taxpayers think cannabis should be decriminalized 92% of taxpayers think cannabis should be made legal for medical purposes 19,200 taxpayers or family members (sick and healthy) were arrested for cannabis in 1998 66,000 taxpayers or family members (sick and healthy) were arrested for cannabis in 2000 with close to 45,000 for simple possession OR one every 12 minutes (Statistics Canada) An increase of 23,400 taxpayers arrested per year and still going strong. Whose money is it, and how much of it? By the Year By the Month By the Day By the Hour By the Minute $500,000,000 $41,000,000 $1,367,00...