Naomi Lakritz: Pot is a dangerous drug and legalization is a dumb idea, Mr. Trudeau
by Naomi Lakritz, The Province, July 26, 2013
I
have lost all respect for Justin Trudeau. Until Thursday, I’d been
rooting for him all the way. No more, though. Not since he announced
that he thinks marijuana should be legalized.
In
advocating for legalization, Trudeau cited the futility of the war on
drugs. But this is not about the war on drugs. This is about the impact
on everyday life if marijuana were legal. One commenter on the Calagry
Herald’s website wondered whether Trudeau is aware of all the social
ills that legalization would bring. Indeed. For one thing, if this ever
comes to pass, we will add to the carnage caused by drunk drivers more
carnage caused by drivers who are stoned.
Nor is it
valid to argue that since alcohol is legal, marijuana should be legal,
too. Alcohol is out of one’s system in a matter of hours for moderate
drinkers. THC, the main ingredient in cannabis, stays in the body for up
to 30 days, which means it continues to impair the user that much
longer after the first high has worn off. Harvard psychiatry professor
Harrison Pope studied marijuana’s long-term effects on cognition. He
postulates that one reason for the lengthy period of impairment, is that
THC “dissolves in body fat, then slowly percolates into the blood and
brain over days and weeks after a joint is smoked,” according to the
Harvard Gazette. ...click "Read More" below to continue....
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