Since prime minister, Jusin Trudeau has promised to legalize marijuana by 2017, there has been a lot of discussion about the subject.

Like we all know, Cannabis Sativa is consumed since thousands of years. It was first discovered in Asia and South America. It has been brought to North America in the 1920’s. Its fiber has been widely used for making ropes, paper, cloth, medicine and even car. In 2001, growing marijuana for medical usages was legalized.

Advil or Cannabis?

Searcher have found many therapeutic ways to use cannabis. In fact, cannabidiole, the second most important substance in cannabis, has proved that it can be used to calm nausea, convulsion, anxiety and inflammation. Mostly thing that Advil can accomplish! However, some may prefer a biologial alternative to Ibuprophen since, it is really hard on digestive system.

The substance that makes us feel more calm and euphoric is called cannabinoid wich contains a chemical structure named tetrhydrocannabinol (THC) . It affects our brain and our immune system. It also cause your appetite to fluctuate and helps to control pain.

SAQ, wine and weed

People think that marijuana shouldn’t be sold in SAQ branch, because super markets like IGA, Super C, Maxi…already sell cigarettes, loto tickets and beer, so why not let them sell drugs too? And if the price and the taxes are too high, it could create a black market like it happened with cigarettes.

Others think that SAQ is the right place for that, in fact, SAQ would be “better equiped in order to resist to the pressure from criminal actors of the black market, as mentionned by IRIS. (…) An indepedant trader would have more difficulty to face those criminal situations (intimidation, violence, etc.)”.

many think it would be better to sell it in specific market for marijuana like they are actually doing in Ontario and British Colombia. Vendors would know more about the product they sell.

THC, easy to detect

Eventhough drugs will be available, driving under the influence should be restrited. In the near future, police officers will be able to detect the amount of THC in saliva, like they are actually doing with alco tests.

Marijuana still has to prove its worth to be legal in every province. There are still a lot to discovered about that substance. Yet some questions remain. Where should we sell cannabis? At what price should we sell weed? To who? At what age should it be legal to own some?

(Written by Geneviève Boudreault Boisvert, edited by Izaly Landry and Mélodie Boisvert)