In a truly boneheaded play, Canada’s Conservative government is once again attempting to pass legislation requiring mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana-related crimes. This, despite two studies prepared for the federal Justice Department that failed to show any benefit to society from such a move, and despite similar policies in the U.S. having achieved no verifiable impact on the inane ‘war on drugs’ beyond the dubious distinction of having the world’s highest incarceration rates.
So why are Prime Minster Stephen Harper’s Tories promoting such ass-backward legislation? Considering that they themselves enacted procedural moves that killed this same legislation twice in the past, is this just more posturing in an attempt to look ‘tough on crime’? Or are they pandering to their socially-conservative base, much in the same way they’re trying to eliminate funding for contraception or abortion from foreign aid programs, and telling any NGO’s that disagree to “shut the fuck up”? Either way, might be a good time to bone up on the actual facts regarding marijuana, assuming that facts play any role in their decision-making process. We here at CalvinAyre.com say just pass the rocket, take a hit and chill.
