Does the World Change Tomorrow? (part one)

Given the amount of space and time allocated to the fact that marijuana will be now legal to use starting tomorrow, one would think that something fundamental has changed in terms of who smokes pot and when. It is almost as if people believe that there will be an explosion of new users. While the paranoia that users in central Canada have lived with (as opposed to those on the west coast) will no longer exist, I suspect that those who smoked pot in the last week will continue to do so and those who did not, won't. Once people get over the urge to smoke in public because they can, the only thing that will change is how one buys it and who get rich selling it. While I think that the decriminalization of personal use cannabis is long overdue, I can't help but feel that it has all been a bit of a con; that the public have been manipulated once again.

I find it surprising the number of groups/agencies/communities who have said that they are not ready, that they need more time to prepare. Really? Canadians have known since the Liberals were elected three years ago that this was going to happen. Everyone has had more than enough time to figure out how they want to deal with it. I am unclear as to why people are all of a sudden confused or concerned.


For example, surely the Canadian armed forces have had sufficient time to decide what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour. While some of the effects of alcohol are different than marijuana, one has to hope that people who are either given guns or are using very expensive machinery are not allowed to smoke up during their coffee breaks. If they are not allowed to have a beer then why would they expect to be allowed to inhale a joint? No matter how much we would all like our work places to be more relaxed, in some cases I want them alert and able to respond without hesitation. I really don't want the pilot of my Air Canada plane to be even a little bit stoned.


I suspect that part of the confusion, the sense of permissiveness or the sense that employers have limited control in terms of who smokes or when is the responsibility/fault of doctors. Because there is very little clear research as to the effectiveness of cannabis on a wide range of conditions, doctors have written prescriptions based on anecdotal evidence that it did some good for at least one person, or at the very least, it no harm. Because of the broad cultural acceptance of cannabis as a medically useful substance , it has become impossible for any employer to ban a substance that the doctor says someone must take.


It is not clear how or why this public perception has developed. While all of those small stores that have been popping up claiming that they are providing a medical service - Statistics Canada (https://www.statista.com/statistics/603356/canadian-medical-marijuana-clients-registered-by-quarter/) reports that in April-July 2017 (the last quarter statistics are available) there were less than a quarter of a million registered users. Clearly not everyone who uses the numerous store front operations has a legitimate prescription - in spite of what those stores say.


There will not be an explosion of new pot smokers. In the short term it may look that way because people will take some delight in smoking up in public. There will be in the upcoming months - arrests and then the appeals over driving while stoned, there will be charter challenges as people argue that they have the right to get stoned wherever. This time in two years - we will all think we were silly to spend so much time talking about it.