Should Canada Legalize Pot and tax it? I think so. I read in Maclean’s magazine recently that Pot is Canada’s biggest agricultural product. An estimated $7 billion industry. And the Federal Government receives no tax revenue from it whatsoever. Growers often steal electricity which costs all of us tha pay for electricity. Instead of spending $400 million annually on Pot enforcement, some of that money could be spent to regulate a new industry. If the government taxed it at 10%, the take would be $700 million a year – which would pay for any enforcement required for the new industry. If they taxed it like Tobacco, it would become a significant part of the government’s annual budget which would help pay down Canada’s debt, and reduce the taxes we all pay.
But there are some things we need to take into consideration BEFORE legalizing pot.
First, a “Pot Breathalyzer” has to be created, tested, and accepted as THE standard for determining if someone is under the influence (if it hasn’t already). The same penalties as for alcohol should apply if a person is operating a motor vehicle under the influence. Ditto for the equivalent of Public Drunkeness (Is that Public Stupidity, Slowness or Hunger? – Perhaps we should make Public Stupidity a crime anyway).
Second, as with Tobacco, smoking pot should be limited to certain areas. As far as I’m concerned, Tobacco or Pot should both be limited to the residence of the person smoking. Public smoking, whether indoors or outdoors, should be banned everywhere. (Is the Federal government listening? A national smoking law should be created). Many people consider smoke (whether tobacco or pot) to be offensive, and many people are also allergic to it. For some people, even a whiff of smoke can set off an asthma attack. As more and more people quit smoking, the rest are discovering what a disgusting habit it is – perhaps the smokers have not yet realized how bad they STINK when they come inside from their smoke break.
Of course I am never going to smoke pot. It doesn’t interest me in the slightest. But why should my views limit what others want to do? As long as they’re only harming themselves, the should be allowed to. The same as what goes for smoking. We all know that smoking kills, but the government hasn’t banned tobacco.
