The time has come to realize that the battle against marijuana as an illegal drug is never going to be won.
People who smoke the drug always seem to be able to find a way to smoke whenever they get the urge.
Those who grow the drugs find a way to grow what they want, and as long as it is illegal, the nasty underworld will be in a battle with the police who have to spend their time fighting a war which will not end.
Recently during the United States election both Washington and Colorado took moves to legalize recreational use of marijuana.
In Canada there have been times where it looked as if the days of recreational use being legal might be just around the corner. At other times the crack down from law makers has taken the punishments to the extreme.
People do not like being told what they can or cannot do. If the desire to consume something is high enough then people will always find a way to get around the rules.
Throughout the days of prohibition certain realities came to light.
Booze was being served. Money was being made. Criminals stepped up to fill a gap created by the government who caved into religious pressures. Once again one person or group telling everyone else what they could not do. The lessons which could have been learned by how governments mishandled this tough topic, could have been used when debating what has been done with the marijuana issue.
The years where prohibition, especially in the U.S., led to a gangland era of smuggling.
This can still be seen today only it has taken on a more violent form where drugs are involved.
People have to deal with a different kind of gang to get what they want.
The streets control the drugs, which can lead to battles and in some cases deaths.
Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal and both can cause physical problems. Yet they are still sold to anyone who is old enough to purchase them.
A similar setup could be used when dealing with marijuana. Taking control on what is being sold could be a great benefit.
Having the chance to make sure something is as safe as possible while putting the criminal element who sells it out of the market seems like a good plan.
People who do not use the drug are not suddenly just going to start smoking because it is legal, and those who do smoke would rather buy it legally than take the risk of being held accountable in a court of law.
Again it has to be said, the time has come to take a new approach on how to make sure people know what they are putting in their bodies.
The so called war on drugs has been a failure if for no other reason than the numbers of those people who still go out and use different drugs.
Billions of dollars have been spent trying to stop people from using drugs and it does not seem to have gotten society any further ahead.
When you look at all the time spent in law enforcement when dealing with this one drug it would be better for everyone if they spent their time dealing with much more serious issues than having to be constantly on the search for who has a joint. All the government has to do is look to the past to see a better way to deal with an issue that will never go away and start to take a new approach on the marijuana issue.
