WHY CANNABIS SHOULD NOT BE LEGALIZED IN MAURITIUS

 By Dr Samuel Nicholas Duymun

There is not enough support to use cannabis medically in Mauritius and across the world. There have been lots of debates about whether or not cannabis should be legalized. Below are 10 powerful reasons which I explain why cannabis should never be legalized?

  1. It is damage to your health. Smoking any substance will have a negative and potentially life threatening effect on your respiratory system. Cannabis use can affect a person’s memory, IQ, judgment, and problem solving skills. There are many cases linking the use of cannabis to the increase chance of forming a mental illness, although there is little scientific evidence to prove this. For example, some people who have smoked cannabis have later been diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenia. Another notable point is that the strains of cannabis in circulation now are much stronger than they once were.
  1. It is a danger for public safety. Cannabis use, like the use of alcohol, can cause impairment in the user. This means if a person is driving whilst under the influence, he/she may be more prone to having a collision and potentially harming a pedestrian or fellow road user. There is also a chance that cannabis use during work will reduces your ability to perform your job efficiently, which can be potentially dangerous for certain professions, such as pilots, doctors, care providers, etc…
  1. Cannabis is very harmful. As a surgeon, I have seen many cases where young men have been diagnosed as sexually impotent. Cannabis smokers face great problem, especially young men where they can’t have an erection. There is clear evidence that smoking cannabis is also harmful to women as that can affect their pregnancy.
  1. Cannabis keeps jeopardizing young people. Why cannabis should not be legalized? It is because it can harm the young people who are the hope and future of mankind . Cannabis may affect the development of the brain tissues if smoked at a young age. This is not only harming the future of young people, but also the future of our country and the world.. If cannabis was legalized, then it would become more easily accessed to younger generations, with fewer stigma attached to its consumptions. Like alcohol, the responsibility must lie with the dispensaries and the patients.
  1. Cannabis legalization will become the new “big tobacco” and will pose great danger to health. Like everything in a corporate world, the legalization of cannabis is bound to be controlled by big, for profit corporations (similar to the pharmaceutical industry). Much like the claims that big tobacco companies once had, there are fears that these big conglomerates are trying to market their product to younger generations to increase sales and profit and create lifetime clientele, a devious tactic indeed.
  1. The use of cannabis will increase in case of legalization. Another reason “Why cannabis should not be legalized?” is that legalization may increase its abuse. The most widely used drugs in society are legal ones. Alcohol is perhaps the most common with cigarettes being a close second, cannabis being the third most widely used recreational drug. The legalization of cannabis will lead to a rise in its use and consumption because it is more accessible. Besides, the price of cannabis is dropping.
  1. Cannabis can affect your sex life. Smoking can lead to impotence in males which mean those who smoke cannabis have an increased chance of becoming impotent and infertile. Smoking cannabis will also make your breath smell really bad, which will definitely affect your sex life. What’s more, there are even studies that link cannabis use with the occurrence of testicular cancer in young men.
  1. Cannabis has been linked with dangerous narcotics. Due to drug laws, cannabis, the naturally grown leaves and flowers of the hemp plant has been listed as a narcotic along with heroin, cocaine, meth and other dangerous substances. Cannabis is often described to be a gateway drug, meaning users who take cannabis are more likely to take harder, more dangerous drugs. This plays a big part in “Why cannabis should not be legalized?”
  1. Cannabis can lower the quality of your life. It affects users differently. Some smokers of cannabis find themselves unable to look for work due to lack of motivation, and some fail to carry out normal tasks. Such as cleaning the house. This means that they can’t support themselves or their families properly.
  1. Cannabis costs money. The last reason “Why cannabis should not be legalized?” is about the cost. The consumption of drugs always poses the risk of adding burden to the public funds. Alcohol alone is believed to cost society fifteen times more than the revenue gained by its taxation. This is due to the increased chance of road accidents whilst intoxicated, as well as treating the physical damage that alcohol does to your body. If cannabis was legalized, it is theorized that the same could be true.