w(e)ed like to be listened to

We(e)d like to be listened to. And we made it clear.

Activism toward cannabis legalisation proliferates in Europe and the world, especially in recent years. Not only medical, but also recreational use is advocated and would be greeted by many as a great news. However, governments seem completely dumb to these requests, and no referendum has ever been announced in any European country.

Anyway, Europeans’ appreciation of weed is mirrored in a massive market, amounting today to billions of euros. Unfortunately, all this money ends up in the pockets of criminals and mafia, who mostly use it, guess what, to foster even more criminality.

Law enforcement can’t do much to improve the situation. The matter is, real, powerful criminals are bad, not stupid. They are not the ones selling weed on the streets to fourteen-years old guys, who told their parents they were going to eat pizza with those ten euros. The ones who do this, and who are also most likely to be arrested, are just employees, often even indebted. That is indeed quite unfair. Not to consider the huge amount of money and time spent on law enforcement, trials and even imprisonment, which are, like it or not, funded with our taxes. 

Right, speaking about taxes. Do our governments dislike money? Isn’t it something we need, now more than ever, with all this environmental crisis to deal with? Because legalised weed would of course be taxed, and consistently, doesn’t it look like a nice source of revenue? Not to mention how new businesses starting in the sector would boost European economy and create new occupational opportunities.

So, why not? If the argument can’t be economic, what is the problem? Is it maybe an ethical reason? Is it because weed is so terribly dangerous for people’s health? 

Well, that would be much of a funny story, since cigarettes and alcohol, legally sold in any European country, are proved to be way more damaging and addictive. 

You would argue this is not something I am allowed to say. You might be right.

However, the WHO claims that “Worldwide, 3 million deaths every year result from harmful use of alcohol, this represents 5.3 % of all deaths” and that “In the age group 20–39 years approximately 13.5 % of the total deaths are alcohol-attributable.”  

At the same time, WHO admits Cannabis is consumed by 147 million people each year, 2,5% of the world population. I therefore surfed the internet, seeking for even one single case of confirmed death due to cannabis use; nothing. 

Anyway, even if the issue was really health-based, countries should indeed legalise it. It is in fact way more dangerous for consumers’ health to smoke illegal cannabis, which can be full of additional uncontrolled chemicals and other harmful substances, sprayed by dealers in order to enhance effects, help and fasten growth or create addiction.

Moreover, it is demonstrated that, as psychological effect, legalising weed would decrease consumption, especially for youths, since many do it as kind of transgression against establishment.

For all these reasons, we have to admit the ethical and health-based arguments are very shaky. 

So, the final question is: given widely accepted pros, very weak drawbacks, and large demand, why haven’t referendums for cannabis legalisation been announced yet? Or at least considered? Why do governments ignore these instances?

Are there, maybe, secret elitist interests? Is it corruption?  Pharmaceutical companies? These claims remain now purely speculative, but they seem the only reasonable motive to me. But any one is of course very welcomed to suggest another explanation.