This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.
The Bloghealth benefits of weedmarijuana and crimemarijuana decriminalized

CHANGE MY MIND: Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Canada?

The majority of Canadians are in favour of decriminalized or legal weed, while some think the penalties for possession should be more severe. Two men who have worked on the front lines of drug regulation are here to weigh in. Scott P. Hilderley, a Corporal in the RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service, and William VanderGraaf, a retired Winnipeg Police Service homicide detective and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, debate whether marijuana legalization should get the green light. What do you think?
By 

Editora de blogs, 'HuffPost Canadá'

and

Associate Blogs Editor, Huffington Post Canada

Editora de blogs, 'HuffPost Canadá'
Associate Blogs Editor, Huffington Post Canada
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
A picture shows a Cannabis plant which grows in a private house on January 4, 2013 in Esvres, near Tours. Since 2009, around 150 farmers gathered in 'Cannabis social clubs' to grow and to share their Cannabis plants with the intention to declare their activity at the local prefectures next February, in an 'act of civil disobedience ' said Dominique Broc, spokesperson of the project. AFP PHOTO/ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images)
Getty Images
A picture shows a Cannabis plant which grows in a private house on January 4, 2013 in Esvres, near Tours. Since 2009, around 150 farmers gathered in 'Cannabis social clubs' to grow and to share their Cannabis plants with the intention to declare their activity at the local prefectures next February, in an 'act of civil disobedience ' said Dominique Broc, spokesperson of the project. AFP PHOTO/ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada and marijuana have a very special relationship. Hey, you can't just go to any country's parliament on a certain April day and partake in...er...wait, what was I just saying?

The majority of Canadians are in favour of decriminalized or legal weed, while some think the penalties for possession should be more severe. The Liberal party of Canada has been in the news for falling squarely in the former camp, with reports and plans that would see the sticky substance creating jobs and being "a new source of tax revenue" for the country.

In this blunt debate, others are opting to puff, puff, pass on such approaches. Under the Conservative government's omnibus crime bill, Bill C-10, mandatory minimum sentences now apply to those charged with even the most minor of marijuana-related offences.

With the recent legalization in Washington and Colorado, Canadians have a chance to look South to see if the new law keeps the peace, or if communities go up in smoke.

Two men who have worked on the front lines of drug regulation are here to weigh in. Scott P. Hilderley, a Corporal in the RCMP Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service, and William VanderGraaf, a retired Winnipeg Police Service homicide detective and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, debate whether marijuana legalization should get the green light.

Asiatic Exclusion League Riot in Vancouver

BC's Marijuana History

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.