As an employer and father to three young children, I am alarmed by the federal government’s plan to legalize marijuana. There is already a deadly opioid crisis underway, but the government remains fixated on making marijuana freely available. The legalization of marijuana is a far more drastic, normalizing step than decriminalization would ever be. Legalization will encourage marijuana use, thereby putting all Canadians at risk.

Marijuana is already being openly marketed in anticipation of legalization. If this statement sounds farfetched, then look out for the billboards that already loom over Montreal streets advertising a website that indicates where marijuana can be bought.

Why does the government wish to legalize the use of a substance that is sure to cause untold suffering for countless families in the form of impaired driving accidents, workplace accidents and adverse health consequences?

Unfortunately, governments cannot resist the siren song of tax revenue, so health and success take a backseat and instead the populace (especially the more addiction-prone segment) is provided with every opportunity for setback through the enthusiastic adoption of lotteries, casinos and, soon, the legal sale of marijuana, a product that can interfere with motivation.  Fore more When We Think Weed