This past weekend, over 3,100 Liberals met in a very cold, very snowy Ottawa to debate policy and begin the process of rebuilding the Liberal party. Seven-hundred of those were Young Liberals under the age of 26, and 54 were students from Carleton.
One of the policies we passed was to support legalizing marijuana. It was brought forward by the Young Liberals of Canada Commission and it passed with 77 per cent of the votes.
Right now, gangs and criminals are the ones making money off pot. I’m not talking about small time dealers; I’m talking about the Hells Angels. The first step in fighting organized crime is taking their money away. It’s money that could be going into government coffers to help worthy initiatives.
It also means spending our money more wisely. We spend millions on processing and sentencing people on marijuana crimes; there would be savings in the millions of dollars that could be realized by flipping the lever.
Some people have told me that marijuana is harmful, but they always seem to clam up when I ask them: is it more harmful than tobacco or cigarettes?
I don’t think it’s any longer a matter of whether this is the smart thing to do. I think it’s now a question of whether or not we have the courage to do it.
Vilifying marijuana users – millions of Canadians — no longer makes any sense. We are giving up tax revenue, spending millions on enforcing outdated laws, and creating criminal records that disproportionately harm young people and students.
At the convention, I heard from a police officer. He had been voting Conservative for most of his life. When he heard we were going to debate this, he joined the party, and came to convention. During debate he said it best: “This country does not need more prisons, it needs less criminals.”
If you’re doubtful, here’s a story from earlier on in the year. A 66-year-old senior was fined $50 after being caught smoking outside his retirement home. This is a man on a pension, who as a result of his arrest, had to find a new place to live.
Now, most of you reading this probably already agree with legalizing marijuana. If you don’t, I hope I’ve changed your mind, but for those of you solidly in favour, don’t let people scare you into backing down over this issue. They’ll mention the United States closing its borders – as if we didn’t have any oil — and dubious medical studies. The list will go on and on.
This past weekend, a political party came together and said, to the tune of 77 per cent, this is the right thing to do. It would have been easier, probably, for us not to pass this “controversial” policy. But now it’s time for Canada to have the debate.
That senior I spoke about earlier? He has a name. It’s James Gordon Brown. He lives outside Sarnia. When the naysayers come knocking on your door, when the next election is here, remember James.
— David Valentin
fourth year, political science
president, Carleton Liberals
vice-president communications, Young Liberals of Canada.
