The Mystery of Cannabis Criminalization in Canada
Photo by Esteban Lopez Written by Matteo Miceli Last month, the Canadian Government legalized cannabis. For many activists, the road to legalization was a hard-fought, decades-long battle. The legalization movement in Canada gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s with the emergence of the hippie counterculture. Then, for over 50 years, people protested cannabis laws, some even being beaten and jailed for the cause. But now, the drug is legal and, as the dust settles on ninety-five years of prohibition, some are wondering why cannabis was criminalized in the first place. The truth: nobody knows. Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, was first criminalized in 1923 with the passing of the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other...