Open Letter to the Government of Canada from Voice of the Children

Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau, Members of the House of Commons, Senators, of Canada

As you prepare to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Canada, I have a couple of questions which I would like answered on behalf of voiceless Canadian children.

I am a blogger concerned mostly with child sex abuse, but also with all forms of child abuse. I also have a Facebook page called 'Voice of the Children'. It is so called because children have no voice when it comes to abuse. They don't vote, and news media pay little attention to their needs until it is too late.

So, my first question is this: 

What are the effects on a child born to a woman who is a regular user of pot?

We know about 'fetal alcohol syndrome'. Is there an equivalent 'fetal marijuana syndrome'? If so, what are its symptoms? What will it cost the children born to pot users?

My second question is: 

What are the effects on a child of growing up in a home where one or more parent is a frequent user of pot?

We know that young teens who smoke pot have a one-in-six chance of developing full-blown, irreversible schizophrenia. What effects will 2nd-hand pot smoke have on a one or two year old? Do we have the faintest idea?

Have there been any studies in relation to these questions? If not, how can you justify legalizing recreational use without knowing how it is going to affect children? Remember, children are voiceless, but that means we must be all the more vigilant in protecting them rather than ignoring their welfare.

Gary Wm Myers

Voice of the Children

Save A Child from Sexual Abuse by 3:15 PM