Alan Young – Defending Pot

The Canadian criminal justice system spends billions of dollars each year trying to control elements of lifestyle that pose little if no risk to others. The story held by government and media alike is unsupported by science and is a means of thought control and propaganda, Alan says. Where in any other area of law do we prohibit an action based on its risk alone? Instead, we weigh risk with social utility and decide policy from there. But politics intentionally obscure the social utility of marijuana. This is more than a debate about personal freedom, Alan argues. It is a question of legal integrity and an issue of democracy.