Introduction
Around the world the criminalization of cannabis use has been revised in recent years to become more lenient and Canada is no different. As the Government of Canada will attempt to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana” by spring 2017 (“Marijuana”, 2016), it is crucial to examine the impact on the health, social, and economic aspects of society (“Toward”, 2016). As prevalence and accessibility of the drug to the population continues to increase, a negative health impact is being made through lack of regulation (Rotermann & Langlois, 2015). The Canadian government’s plan to legalize recreational marijuana consumption will regulate the consumption of the drug thereby helping decrease the prevalence and restrict accessibility …show more content…
The “marijuana gateway effect” has hypothesised that marijuana is use often used before individuals use “harder” drugs (Osborne & Fogel, 2016). The more regularly and earlier cannabis may be consumed in a person’s lifetime a link is shown to increase the likelihood that a person may choose to use “harder” drugs (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). Although a pattern in drug consumption may be shown, the consumption of harder drugs is often due to social reasons. Individuals that choose to consume marijuana often choose to socialize with a different subculture and peers that may also chose to consume drugs (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). The social effects that cause individuals to smoke marijuana cause them to be involved in a subculture were other drugs are also readily available. The legalization of marijuana will create a legal market for the sale of marijuana and separate the illicit market with the sale of “harder drugs” from the sale of marijuana, possibly halting the “marijuana gateway effect” (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). Critics against the legalization of marijuana often believe that the consumption of marijuana will cause consumers to be more susceptible to try other drugs due to the physiological effects associated with marijuana use. While some articles may conclude that there is a correlation between the consumption of marijuana and the consumption of other substances, a causal effect has not yet been found (Osborne & Fogel, 2016). In a 2005 study testing the gateway hypothesis, researcher found that general behavioural deviance was a greater indicator for the consumption of “harder drugs” and evidence supporting the gateway effect were not obtained (Tarter, Vanyukov, Kirsci, Reynolds, & Clark, 2006). Therefore, the alteration of social factors that may contribute
Around the world the criminalization of cannabis use has been revised in recent years to become more lenient and Canada is no different. As the Government of Canada will attempt to “legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana” by spring 2017 (“Marijuana”, 2016), it is crucial to examine the impact on the health, social, and economic aspects of society (“Toward”, 2016). As prevalence and accessibility of the drug to the population continues to increase, a negative health impact is being made through lack of regulation (Rotermann & Langlois, 2015). The Canadian government’s plan to legalize recreational marijuana consumption will regulate the consumption of the drug thereby helping decrease the prevalence and restrict accessibility …show more content…
The “marijuana gateway effect” has hypothesised that marijuana is use often used before individuals use “harder” drugs (Osborne & Fogel, 2016). The more regularly and earlier cannabis may be consumed in a person’s lifetime a link is shown to increase the likelihood that a person may choose to use “harder” drugs (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). Although a pattern in drug consumption may be shown, the consumption of harder drugs is often due to social reasons. Individuals that choose to consume marijuana often choose to socialize with a different subculture and peers that may also chose to consume drugs (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). The social effects that cause individuals to smoke marijuana cause them to be involved in a subculture were other drugs are also readily available. The legalization of marijuana will create a legal market for the sale of marijuana and separate the illicit market with the sale of “harder drugs” from the sale of marijuana, possibly halting the “marijuana gateway effect” (Hall & Lynskey, 2005). Critics against the legalization of marijuana often believe that the consumption of marijuana will cause consumers to be more susceptible to try other drugs due to the physiological effects associated with marijuana use. While some articles may conclude that there is a correlation between the consumption of marijuana and the consumption of other substances, a causal effect has not yet been found (Osborne & Fogel, 2016). In a 2005 study testing the gateway hypothesis, researcher found that general behavioural deviance was a greater indicator for the consumption of “harder drugs” and evidence supporting the gateway effect were not obtained (Tarter, Vanyukov, Kirsci, Reynolds, & Clark, 2006). Therefore, the alteration of social factors that may contribute