Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Some Thoughts on the Latest Medical Marijuana Mayhem

Cross-posted from Mises Canada

We can all sleep safe and sound tonight knowing that Health Canada and the RCMP are working to ensure “public safety.” In two weeks, 37,000 licensed marijuana growers will effectively become criminals when the new medical marijuana law takes effect. The new law limits the production and distribution to a few players chosen by federal bureaucrats. Of course, these 37,000 people won’t become criminals if they follow Health Canada’s order to “break up the plant material, blend the marijuana with water and mix it with cat litter to mask the odour. This can then be placed in your regular household garbage.” Growers also need to inform Health Canada that they’ve done this, having until April 30 to comply. Failure to do so will result in having one’s name and address revealed to law enforcement via Health Canada’s database.

Health Canada stops short at providing this information to municipalities, citing federal privacy laws. Because sharing this information with federal and provincial cops is okay, but the idea of getting municipalities involved infringes on some arbitrary privacy right. While I don’t condone federal bureaucracies having any personal information – let alone sharing it with other bureaus – I think that the decision to keep municipalities out of the loop may be more strategic than any worrying over violating individual rights. After all, what is a bigger violation of rights than making people criminals overnight because they grow their own medicine? Municipalities, particularly in British Columbia (or more specifically, the town of Nelson and the city of Vancouver), might help challenge this blatant violation of private property. We can’t have that. Best to keep municipalities confined to their constitutional roles – glorified custodians. And so it goes in Canada, where rights are outlined in some piece of paper called the Charter where the words “property” or “medicine” are nowhere to be seen.

And that, I believe, is part of the problem. The internet is aflame with comments calling this a violation of “our” Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Of course, if one takes this approach then one must be consistent and side with the Harper Government: the Charter does not guarantee the right to produce one’s own medication. This never seems to be a problem when it’s someone looking for private delivery of health-care. “Move to America,” is the collective response, “how dare you challenge our Canadian values!” Well then, doesn’t the same logic apply? If government health-care is superior to private enterprise then what exactly is the issue here? Shouldn’t we just trust the Harper Government and Health Canada’s new medical marijuana scheme? Why allow medical marijuana to remain privatized when it is clearly a violation of Our Universal Health Care System?

But I don’t wish to make enemies with medical marijuana users. In fact, with the exception of rallying cries about the Charter, I agree with them. Many people grow their own marijuana because it is economical. These new government-approved start-ups are talking about $10 a gram. That tends to be the market price across Canada, but not everyone can afford that. If one grows their own (and is good at it), they’re looking at $3-$5 a gram. Maybe even less. Not to mention, since the old laws confined growers to just a few patients, the relationship between grower and patient was more personal. Kind of like having a family doctor instead of that random doctor you wait four hours to see and spends less than five minutes with you. The likely scenario is that the government will start subsidizing the price to make it more affordable, but of course that opens up another can of worms….

But remember, this all for public safety. Government documents insist that growing marijuana at home “poses hazards such as mould and fire.” True. So why stop at marijuana? Houses themselves are accidents waiting to happen – y’know, with all that electricity and stuff. Best to have government agents come by the first Monday of each month to inspect our homes in the name of public safety. In fact, can you imagine the vast improvements of our health-care system if government agents could rummage through our kitchen and throw out unhealthy foods? Think of all the public safety it would create!

Of course I’m being sarcastic. The idea that the RCMP (or the OPP, or whoever) are going to break into people’s homes to enforce this new crony-capitalist model is affront to the liberty of Canadians. Forget the Charter, this is a violation of one’s basic liberties as a human being. What is the rationale for sharing this sensitive information with police? Where is the rationale in providing this information to Health Canada to begin with? Why can’t people grow their own marijuana? Because of potential fires? Why not ban all gardening, then? I guess these are all rhetorical questions because, clearly, there is no rationale in the drug war. And with a press release that says, “Health Canada does not endorse the use of marijuana” one must question their rationale in implementing a medical marijuana program. Best just to legalize it and leave us alone. Ultimately, governments cannot control markets no matter how hard they try. Even if it is in the interests of “public safety”. But then what exactly is safe about having men with guns break into your house to destroy your plants?

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