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Two federal parties — the Liberals and the New Democrats — favour the legalization of marijuana. The end of prohibition and the regulated but legal sale and use of marijuana could soon become a reality in Canada.

And you know what? Things will be pretty much the same as they are now. Most of the changes that will occur will be positive.

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The government will collect more in taxes, maybe as much as $5 billion per year if you go by Green party projections. The well-developed marijuana black market will be able to operate above board. Millions of Canadians will try out smoking marijuana and many of them will continue to smoke it regularly, just as happens now. But from what we’ve seen in other jurisdictions that have decriminalized drugs, such as in Portugal, or legalized marijuana, such as in Colorado and Washington state, there won’t be much change in drug use.

In a 2009 study done by the Cato Institute on Portugal’s 2001 decriminalization of marijuana, heroin, cocaine and meth, it was found that the number of teenagers who at some point took illegal drugs had fallen: “None of the nightmare scenarios touted by preenactment decriminalization opponents — from rampant increases in drug usage among the young to the transformation of Lisbon into a haven for ‘drug tourists’ — has occurred.