Lawmakers in Canada continue to move forward with establishing their legal cannabis market that they recently said should be established by sometime next year. And psychiatrists in the country are placing pressure on the Liberal government in asking them to establish a minimum age of 21 for cannabis sales.
The Canadian Psychiatric Association has cited the worry of brain development in allowing kids under 21 to access cannabis lawfully. It's suggested that the Liberal government might seek a minimum age requirement around 18 years old. Ideally, the Canadian Medical Association wants to set a minimum age of 25.
Issues..
What about for the children who are under that age who might want to use cannabis for a medical reason? There are millions of families today who are using cannabis in order to treat some illness or another. And many individuals have found it difficult to find a doctor who is willing to support them to be prescribed cannabis as a medical treatment for their issues. If recreational use is still going to be banned for those who need it the most, then it seems like it will do more harm than good.
We all know that for those children who are determined to drink or smoke etc, they'll find a way to do it regardless of the rules in place.
The 18-25 demographic covers a lot of customers who would be funneling millions of dollars into the cannabis market and so outlawing them would only leave them left with the same resort of having to access the black market in order to meet their needs.
Critics of these sorts of restrictions argue that the claims regarding the supposed degradation of the brain following cannabis use, are misleading and overblown.
The truth is that the state has for decades proven unsuccessful at trying to regulate drugs so as to keep them out of the hands of individuals who want them. If they really want to help people then they should decide to not initiate harm (prison time, fines etc) against people who want to make the decision to ingest this herb.
Pics:
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Source:
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/psychiatrists-ask-liberals-to-keep-cannabis-illegal-up-to-age-21-1.3366167
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/debunking-myth-pot-fries-brain
http://www.cpa-apc.org/wp-content/uploads/Cannabis-Academy-Position-Statement-ENG-FINAL-no-footers-web.pdf