Are Canadians ready to legalize marijuana?

Shelley Davies laughed, then took a deep breath before describing her son as someone who loved the outdoors, someone who loved gardening and someone who was so proud of how his yard looked. “He was a gentle little soul,” she said.

As the deadline to legalize marijuana in this country draws nearer, support for the process is coming from some surprising sources. At least three Canadians say they are behind the plan, despite the turmoil drugs created in their personal lives.

“Every medical change, it always comes too late for someone,” said Davies in a phone interview from Kelowna, B.C. “I think the illegality of cannabis definitely contributed to my son’s death.”

The federal government is aiming to legalize marijuana by July 2018. For Davies, that is unfortunately too late. Her son Keenan died by suicide in June 2014. He was just 22 years old.

“He was always a very sensitive child. I remember him coming home one time in tears,” said Davies. “Some kids were trying to smoke out a marmot so they could shoot him. Marmots were his favorite animal.”

Davies said her son had attention deficit hyperactive disorder, a condition that makes it hard for children to control their behaviour and pay attention. “He just didn’t think the same way a lot of the other kids did.”

Keenan began using marijuana to self-medicate while in high school, according to Davies. She said they had tried other medications in the past but “those all came with some pretty awful side effects.”

“I know if it would have been legal, he wouldn’t have been as involved in the judicial system as

he was,” said Davies. “We may have been able to get him on a program using cannabis that he would have been compliant with because it doesn’t hurt, it feels actually good.”

In Davies’s opinion, she said legalization is long overdue.

“He just looked at his life and didn’t see a way out,” said Davies. “It may not have changed things at all, but it may have.”

20-year-old Josh Clatney also said he believes there are benefits to legalizing marijuana. But he is not confident the government is prepared to do so properly.

“It has to be cheap, otherwise I’ll just keep buying off my drug dealer,” said Clatney. “And it has to be available. So, the 40 stores in Ontario, that’s not going to cut it. There’s more than 40 drug dealers.”

Clatney is not alone. According to a recent Angus Poll study, close to half of Canadians say the government should push back the timeline for legalization.

However, Clatney said he does believe legalization will help to protect children and teenagers.

“For alcohol, you need ID and it’s regulated but marijuana, it’s a free-for-all,” said Clatney. “You know, you’re always going to have that one prick who sells drugs to kids but if it’s legalized properly, I think it will be harder for kids to obtain.”

Clatney, who has been resuscitated five times from opioid overdose, is now an advocate. He said he has been a drug addict since he was 12 years old.

“I remember the first time distinctly. I ran over to my neighbour’s place and I smoked some pot and then I went to an eye appointment. I was extremely high,” he said. “My eyes were bouncing back and forth so the eye doctor thought there was something going on with my eyes. I had a bunch of follow-ups because I didn’t want to tell anyone I smoked pot.”

Even though Clatney said his addiction started with marijuana, he doesn’t believe it was a gateway to harder substances.

“I didn’t have a drug of choice. I was addicted to just about everything and I think I would have gotten involved with drugs regardless. I don’t think marijuana opened the door.”

Unlike Clatney, Lois Fridfinnson, who lost two of her children to substance abuse, says marijuana played a big part in her son’s struggles.

“I think it’s different for everyone. For Michael, the gateway for him was the marijuana, where for Bricey it was alcohol.” Fridfinnson said in a phone interview from Winnipeg Lake, Man. “The only difference between the two is alcohol is legal and marijuana isn’t.”

Her 22-year-old son Michael died of a drug overdose in 2010.

“Michael was very much into music. He was playing talent shows at the age of seven, singing and playing guitar,” Fridfinnson said. “His sister Bricey sang too. She ended up singing a song that he had written. She sang it at his funeral when he passed away.”

Six years later, Bricey died at the age of 26 due to heart disease, which Fridfinnson blames on the dirty needles she used to inject illegal drugs with.

“I talked to my kids about alcohol,” said Fridfinnson. “But the thing is, I didn’t have a talk with them about marijuana because that is illegal.”

Fridfinnson said she supports legalizing marijuana. She said for her it “was less of a problem than alcohol” and she thinks the move could help educate kids on the dangers associated with the drug.

“There was no getting through Bricey. She was feisty. She was stubborn,” Fridfinnson said, chuckling on the phone. “But, I think I could have gotten through to Michael. If it was legal, I would have far been more open to having that conversation.”

Fridfinnson said Bricey’s addiction with alcohol escalated a lot quicker than Michael’s battle with marijuana.

“I remember both my kids at one point saying to me, ‘I never grew up wanting to be an addict. I never wanted to grow up to be doing what I am doing.’ They looked at themselves as complete failures.”

There is a silver lining to Fridfinnson’s story. She still has an older son and gets strength from her three granddaughters. On top of that, Fridfinnson said she takes solace in her memories.

“We never ended a conversation without saying I love you and we never ended a conversation without a hug and a kiss on the cheek. So that is how I left them,” she said, her voice cracking. “With an I love you.”