Legalize marijuana?

I awakened this morning with the thought that I had written a few words about decriminalizing marijuana yesterday without even knowing what that might entail. It might simply mean that a person would not be charged with an offence if a small amount of marijuana was being carried by the person and that person could smoke that “pot”, “grass” or whatever it might be called and not be charged.

I know that there was always a concern about young people being charged with possession, being found guilty and ending up with a criminal record. That was a fear that many held. The other fear was going to jail or prison where one might be subjected to all sorts of abuse. Some Americans have suffered from psychological problems and psychiatric conditions due to their prison experiences. I do not know about Canadian experiences in that area.

Now, what I was thinking yesterday, in my naive way, was the decriminalizing of the growing of marijuana. That will probably never happen. Some would say that the criminal element in society would never let that happen. If that were the case, how might that take place?

I have often thought about planting hemp seeds in public places. I may even do that some day. To see the green marijuana plants growing in such locations as the Governor General’s gardens, among the plantings at the Prime Minister’s residence, the local, provincial and national parks might become a sight of the beautiful. Just call me “Louie Hemp Seed” and the hemp plant would become a national symbol. The RCMP would have a hay day, NO, NO, a hemp day, requiring them to separate the hemp from some possible marijuana that might grow along side the hemp. Would I be charged with an offence called “public mischief” or polluting the environment? Perhaps; in all likelihood!

Never been in jail; there is always a first time!