Canadian cannabis: Marijuana as an irritant/problem in Canada-US relations” Paul Gecelovsky describes the issues of marijuana cultivation and trafficking in Canada and the US and makes comparisons concerning the regulations that govern marijuana usage between the two countries. His purpose is to bring awareness to people the issues and consequences associated with marijuana cultivation ownership.
Gecelovsky references different chronological events and statistics in order to demonstrate suggestions that point to the weakness in Canadian laws concerning the possession of marijuana – laws that are resulting in the weakening of Canadian-US relations. His main proposition is that the sharp increase of marijuana cultivation in Canada and trafficking to the US is of major concern to many Americans, emphasizing that Canadians are out of poise with their negligent policies as compared to Americans.
Gecelovsky offers some contextual information about the cultivation and amount of marijuana exported to the US from Canada, with some of the key provinces including Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. He shifts his focus towards British Columbia, as he states that it is “ the largest source of marijuana, accounting for about 40% of all growing operations in Canada during 2003, as well as having the highest rate of cultivation incidents at 79 per 100, 000 people” (234). By this statistic, he demonstrates that Canadian law often tolerates the possession of cannabis, even though the legal status of the drug is often disputed and toyed with.
British Columbia is a major concern regarding the marijuana industry, as Gecelovsky states that, “ there has been a sharp rise in the smuggling of marijuana into the US from Canada, which resulted in the tripling of the number of seizures and the volume of marijuana seized” (234). British Columbia stands out as not only controlling the largest marijuana industry in Canada, but also having the highest marijuana potency, being a “ marijuana Mecca. ” Gecelovksy uses the BC Bud as an example to exemplify British Columbia’s global potential of marijuana management, citing it as a “ globally famous brand name that commands the highest price” (234).
Gecelovsky further illustrates Canada’s laxity towards regulating marijuana, describing how during the 2003-2006 period that the Chretien and Martin governments passed legislation to decriminalize possession of marijuana 15 grams or less. He discusses how this legislation lead to forceful responses by the Americans, reasoning that “ if Canada adopted more stern measures and penalties concerning marijuana, the flow to the US would be somewhat abated” (235). His examples clearly allude to Canada’s suppleness towards marijuana regulations.
He contends that even though the marijuana issue had been recriminalized by the Harper conservative government in 2006, Canada’s laxity towards regulating marijuana continued to be a problem for many Americans. Gecelovsky offers two possible scenarios in which the marijuana irritant becomes a marijuana “ problem”. He asserts that if there is a marijuana problem, it could result in the “ Mexicanization of the Canadian border, leading to a significant reduction of cross-border traffic which in turn negatively impacts the bilateral relationship between the two countries” (236).
