Father Raymond J. de Souza: Cannabis causes harm. But no one cares

Another article on the legalization of Cannabis in Canada.

For those who seek a distinction between marijuana and “hard” drugs like opiates and meth, and “soft” drugs like pot, the usual recourse is to liken pot to alcohol. We not only have legal alcohol, but use public dollars to promote its consumption, so why should marijuana be any different? Getting high on a joint is just like getting drunk, so treat it the same.

It’s not, physiologically, but leave that aside and take the argument in the other direction. If you had a society in which alcohol consumption was non-existent, or at least rare, would it be a good idea to try to increase it?

You don’t have to be a priest or police officer or counsellor to know the terrible toll alcohol takes. There are many cultural and practical reasons why the prohibition of alcohol is both unwise and impractical, but that it is legal should not obscure that it does massive damage, often to the most vulnerable. The same goes, by the way, for the casinos and video lottery terminals that the government pushes, to use the apt word, upon vulnerable populations.

Click here for the article.