Okay, slow the wagon down here, folks. Let's untwist this knot of issues and sort this out:
2332Piper said:
I DO judge people who smoke pot. Why? Because pot makes you weak, it makes you stupid and it makes you act like a moron.
Okay, regardless of someone's views on marijuana, this statement is just dumb - it is like saying
"I DO judge people who smoke potdrink alcohol. Why? Because pot makes you weak, it makes you stupid and it makes you act like a moron." Stating that every person who partakes in smoking marijuana is a weakminded stoner is akin to believing that everyone that cracks a beer is a raving alcoholic.
Plenty of people use marijuana and get along fine in life. Check out the MacLean's article on the passing of Canada's pre-eminent author, Pierre Burton, an admitted "chronic". I doubt you'd consider
Vimy to be the work of a weak, stupid moron.
State your case, but don't use misleading rhetoric to do so.
Tell the families of those RCMP officers killed at that farm in Alberta that it really is ok to smoke pot, who does it affect anyways?
Red herring - they weren't killed because they were involved in a drug raid, they were killed because they were dealing with a lunatic who would have killed them if they came to serve him with a subpoena. Not saying that the police effort to combat the drug industry isn't inherently dangerous, but using the tragedy of Mayerthorpe in this light is wrong - like the issue above, it is misleading rhetoric that obfuscates facts for appeal to emotion.
Now, political issues of marijuana aside (and there are compelling issues on both sides of the argument), lets get to the crux of this argument, the CF Policy on Drug Use (yes, this include Marijuana, Mr Piccillo). Here you have it:
http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/cfao/019-21_e.asp
5. Because of the implications on operational readiness, safety of both
members and the public, security, discipline, reliability, cohesion and
morale, it is CF policy that any unauthorized use or other illegal
involvement with drugs by CF members will not be tolerated. The Canadian
Forces Drug Control Program has been established under QR&O, Chapter 20
as a comprehensive instrument to combat unauthorized use and other illegal
involvement with drugs. The essential elements of the program are
education, detection, treatment and rehabilitation.
Now, notice the part I highlighted for you - other illegal activities; when you sign the Zero-Tolerance this is made very clear to you. You can't be around this stuff because if you are, the shadow of suspicion will be cast upon your own conduct. Regardless of your personal views of other people using marijuana, the above is an ethical and professional obligation for you as a Soldier to obey. Don't, and your ass will be in the sling - you can read all about what can and will happen in the link I provided above. Tolerating other soldiers doing it is as bad as doing it yourself, because they are also professionally obligated to this policy, and you are failing everyone else by allowing them to continue - as the RCR says, "Never Pass a Fault".
Remember, your obligations as a Soldier (which you both sign and swear to), which are underlined by those above principles of readiness, security, discipline, reliability, cohesion and morale, override your civilian rights to be soft around the gray areas of the law. Until the CF Policy changes, you will be beholden to this - if you don't like the sounds of this, then perhaps you should take Kincanucks suggestion and find another line of work.