Peek at the Application of Cannabis Legalization

Even though the consumption of marijuana is loosened outside of medical needs, a number of countries apply certain restrictions that are different and quite strict.

Canada, for example. On October 17, 2018, Canada will legalize marijuana in full in three categories: Canada drugs, Canada recreation, and Canada cultivation. Cannabis farmers can obtain government licenses to produce marijuana. Each province will discuss related to the distribution and sale of products. The government also does not explicitly campaign in support or will only sign legalization without promoting.

Spain also legalized marijuana in three categories. However, there are certain rules that must be obeyed by marijuana users. In the recreation category, marijuana is only legal if it is enjoyed in a private area and the user must register to an association. If it is desperate to smoke marijuana in a public space, users can be punished according to the applicable legal product. Each user can only have a maximum of 60-100 grams of marijuana per month.

Uruguay entered the country which fully legalized marijuana. However, people under the age of 18 cannot consume it. Whoever wants to sell, buy, and cultivate marijuana must also register with the government.

What about Jamaica? The government is loosening the consumption of cannabis for Rastafarians. Beyond that, marijuana should only be used for medical and cultivation purposes.

Control of post-legalization of marijuana use is a concern among academics. In an article titled “Implications of Marijuana Legalization for Adolescent Substance Use” (2014), University of Colorado psychiatrist, Christian Hopfer highlighted the potential effects of marijuana legalization, namely increased consumption of marijuana among adolescents. This increase is supported by supporting factors such as greater social acceptance of marijuana use and increasingly affordable prices like in the Canadian pharmacy online. Hopfer hopes marijuana will be closely monitored like alcohol and tobacco.

The price of marijuana is indeed down after legalization. From the beginning it was illegal and traded on the black market at a high price, now marijuana has become an affordable item in countries that legalize it.

Marijuana legalization in several US states in 2015 also reduced the price of marijuana, even though the quality was high. States such as California and Nevada even have the cheapest prices for marijuana along with legalization for medical needs.

The same applies in Canada. Since the campaign of decriminalization of marijuana in 2015 which led to the legalization of medical needs to full legalization this year, the price of marijuana continues to down. Reporting from Bloomberg, in 2015 marijuana per gram was valued at 8.43 Canadian dollars. This price dropped to 6.05 dollars per gram in 2017. Canadian pharmacy, which was originally an importer of marijuana, is now an exporter. Last year, the total value of Canadian cannabis exports reached 1.2 billion Canadian dollars.