Marijuana should be legalized in Canada

Thanks to Pro for initiating this debate. First of all, I would like to enumerate the reasons why marijuana should not be legalized. The Amsterdam marijuana experiment did not succeed. Marijuana is widely available in the Netherlands. However, citizens in Amsterdam are now alarmed that their children are increasingly exposed to it. Amsterdam became the first city in the Netherlands to ban students from smoking marijuana at school. School administrators actually complained about pupils turning up to classes high after rollin up outside the grounds. Contrary to the claims that legalizing marijuana will reduce crime, Amsterdam is also finding that crime is now centring around the coffeehouses where marijuana is sold. Coalition are now advancing the idea of prohibiting the sale of cannabis to non-Dutch residents. Crime and legal sex trade has become more and more visible and numerous around these marijuana coffee houses. http://www.rightwingnews.com... http://www.dailymail.co.uk... Long-term marijuana is addictive. An estimated 9% of people who use marijuana will become addicted to it, and the ratio increases to 1 in 6 for people who start young. http://www.drugabuse.gov... Marijuana alters your brain structure According the a recent North-western University study, marijuana users have abnormal brain structures and poor memory. Chronic marijuana abuse may lead to brain changes resembling schizophrenia. The American Medical Association filed a report against marijuana legalization, stating “Heavy cannabis use in adolescence causes persistent impairments in neurocognitive performance and IQ, and use is associated with increased rates of anxiety, mood and psychotic though disorders.” Marijuana Smokers Faces more Rapid Lung Destruction than Cigarette Smokers Recent studies show that the development of bullous lung disease occurs in marijuana smokers approximately 20 years earlier than tobacco smoke. This disease leads to the eventual destruction of the lungs. http://www.sciencedaily.com... Marijuana Smoke Contains Higher Levels of Certain Toxins than Tobacco Smoke Researchers in Canada have shown that marijuana contains significantly higher levels of toxic compounds than cigarettes. Among these are ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. http://www.sciencedaily.com... Marijuana can kill (in other ways): In Australia, a study found that cannabis intoxication was responsible for 4.3% of driver fatalities. This is because marijuana can cause impairment. You wouldn’t want pilots, engineers, manufacturers, doctors, day care providers to be consuming marijuana. Marijuana is more harmful than it is helpful: The consensus of available scientific research does not support “medical marijuana claim”. http://www.iowa.gov... Marijuana is not good for long-term economic growth Because Marijuana causes impairment and stunts learning ability (persistent marijuana use starting in adolescence can lead to an 8-point drop in IQ), it is detrimental to a society which is more and more dependent on knowledge workers. Worker marijuana is also related to absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ comp claims and turnover. http://www.iowa.gov... Pro's arguments basically sums that marijuana can be used to alleviate many medical ailments. However, since the majority of the scientific community has concluded that marijuana (overall) is harmful (stating that “there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful”), Pro's position is essentially untenable.