Young adults in the Pontiac can rest easy. Don’t be afraid.
Our Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) leaders bring good news: they’re going to protect the province’s youth from the great scourge of cannabis by raising the legal age of consumption to 21.
In fact, Quebec’s Junior Health and Social Services Minister, Lionel Carmant, commented that had he been the only one to decide, he might have set the limit at 25 years-of-age, according to the Montreal Gazette.
The CAQ is also pushing to ban public pot smoking, similar to the laws regarding alcohol consumption.
So let’s get this straight: 18-year-olds can buy cigarettes, fireworks and booze in whatever quantity they desire in La Belle Province, but they shouldn’t even think about purchasing state-sanctioned reefer until they’re three years older?
They’re wise enough to pick candidates in an election and level-headed enough to serve in our armed forces at 18, but can’t be trusted with a joint?
On what planet does this make sense?
It’s estimated that roughly 30 per cent of the 18-24 demographic consumes cannabis in this province already and it’s unlikely that they’ll alter their habits when the law changes, which is expected to occur sometime next year.
It’s true that weed can have detrimental effects on developing brains and it’s commendable to try and curb teenage use, but this is not the way to go about it.
Having the strictest cannabis laws and the laxest alcohol laws in the country sends a mixed message. Is this change truly for the benefit of our youth, or just social-conservative pandering to an electorate that grew up in the “Reefer Madness” era?
If the government was targeting alcohol the same way they’re treating cannabis, there would surely be a swift and ferocious backlash.
Why would people be willing to go to the barracades for their beer, but shrug their shoulders at cannabis?
Clearly, the stigma created by decades of prohibition still holds weight with the reactionaries putting this legislation forward. If outright prohibition was a failure, what chance do these half-baked restrictions have?
Raising the legal age won’t deter teenagers from toking up, it will just force them to buy unregulated bud from dodgy go-betweens and smoke it in sketchy areas out of the public eye.
The rest of the country is taking measures to educate young adults about the risks of smoking, while allowing them to make the decision for themselves. Quebec, on the other hand, is taking a significant step backwards.
As a society, we’ve entrusted 18-year-olds with a number of responsibilities and privileges. Adding cannabis to that list shouldn’t be controversial.
Caleb Nickerson
