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I’ve been increasingly hard on the Liberals since the first days post-Chretien. So much so, I’ve gravitated towards the NDP. A prime indicator for me of my feelings towards the parties has been that which distinguishes their attitudes towards the war on drugs, particularly in regards to victimless pot.
For me, this issue encapsulates everything that represents progressivism. A crime to no one but the ill-informed, a truly progressive party would support the decriminalization of marijuana. It’s a no brainer. Decades upon decades of studies have proven pot to be far less harmful than drinking alcohol, driving a car or walking down the street.
It should be a no-brainer, a non-issue, a freedom we all should be afforded. Hey Liberals, looks like you still have some life for millions of Canadians. Too bad for the NDP. Living in the fifties is not a good look for you.
Being woefully ill-informed looks even worse.
X-posted at Let Freedom Rain.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this.
Now that Mulcair is free to put his stamp on the NDP, I will probably look to park my vote elsewhere. A decision I don’t make lightly, considering Mulcair’s unbridled support for the Isreali aparthied and his affection for oil companies. After the DoS attack on the voting at the convention I have serious doubts about the results of that contest.
I would sure like to know who donated what to Mulcair’s campaign. It will definately split the progressive vote, playing right into Harper’s hand.
Thanks for this post. For me, Mulcair’s proclamation that he does not support legalising pot is the final nail in the coffin for the NDP as a progressive party. It’s unbelievable really, and I wonder if Mulcair bothered to check with party members before making this statement or if it’s just his own puritanism rising to the fore.
Believe it or not the science is not in on how “good” pot is for you. And don’t think just because there is a well organized lobby out there supporting the legalization of pot means that it’s that much less harmful. I’ve ha d a personal tale of usage with pot that has taken me to hell and back and thanks to Harvard Medical School I now know why.
You see one thing that has recently been discovered about pot is that it has the ability to actually trigger in the brain the cease of uptake of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in people with a family history of depression or other mental illnesses. So, thanks to the pot that so many say is harmless (yes there are many out there who don’t just say it’s less harmful, but it’s actually harmless, they’ve attacked me on twitter for discussing what I am discussing right now) my Major Depression Disorder was triggered and my life has changed ever since. I don’t drink or do any other drugs so the likelihood of this have ever being triggered was low. I attempted suicide twice, and then had to go on different drugs until I found the right one to help curb my moods.
Please, and yes this is a plea, before determining that pot is all fine and good, do some research on it’s effects on mental health. Had I have known my family history before I never would have touched the stuff. Turns out MDD, Bipolar Disorder and Dysthymia run in my family. I’m not against decriminalizing, but I am against legalizing full stop!
Take a moment to consider my case as I assure you I’m not alone. The usage of pot has increased over the years and so have the incidences of mental illness, though in men mental illness is still very under reported.
Here is a list of just some of the mental illnesses Harvard Medical School says are potentially triggered by pot, especially in people with a family history:
-acute toxic psychosis
-panic attacks (one of the very conditions it is being used experimentally to treat)
-flashbacks
-delusions
-depersonalization
-hallucinations
-paranoia
-depression
-uncontrollable aggressiveness
-bipolar (manic-depressive)disorder
-psychosis
-schizophrenia
Once more, I ask you to not put aside my story like Jodi Emery or Dana Larson. Consider it.
I couldn’t agree more – it’s good to see the Liberals take a stand on this issue. I’m a US citizen, and it sickens me how both parties are generally totally in favor of our Drug War. It’s not just “young people” going to prison, either – it’s addicts. They need rehab, not jail time, and the whole reason for the high rates of recidivism is that they never get proper treatment. I don’t think people understand that when you’re addicted to a substance, threats of prison are simply not going to “cure” you. And as for POT being illegal – a whole ‘nother level of idiocy.