It’s interesting that even as a group of investors is floating the idea of a full-scale cannabis production facility in Mapleton’s industrial park, the whole Canadian marijuana legalization process is being held up in the Senate over the section of legislation that would allow citizens to grow a few plants for personal use.
As of this writing, Quebec and Manitoba’s opposition to allowing home cultivation of even a single plant is the main stumbling block to moving forward on the looming legislation. Whether or not one agrees pot should be legal, and there’s a case to be made that it shouldn’t, it’s hard to argue that if it’s going to be, only corporations and government should benefit financially from the relaxation of rules. A key argument against backyard pot plots seems to be concern over keeping it out the hands of minors. In this regard, the issue is no different than one of parental control over alcohol consumption in the home. One could argue a minor with access to the liquor cabinet is at risk of harm at least as much as the youth who gets into a parent’s weed stash.
People make their own beer, wine and even hard liquor at home and there are plenty of studies to suggest alcohol is a factor in far more societal ills (spousal and child abuse and drunk driving for starters) than pot ever will be. State that someone is “drunk” and there is immediate concern they are a danger to themselves or others. If that same person is said to be “stoned” the biggest worry is that he or she might clean out your snack cupboard and perhaps say something silly.
The whole idea of pot legalization was more about putting an end to petty prosecution of a crime (simple marijuana possession) few consider worth the effort of enforcement than about allowing another legal intoxicant onto the market, so the fight over a couple of plants on someone’s window sill seems, pretty hypocritical and well … kinda dopey.
