What would a modern liberal say about the Canadian government's legalization of cannabis? Before answering this question, we should examine what modern liberalism is. Modern liberalism is a variant of liberalism. Liberalism is an ideology that states that no one, not even the government, should interfere with the freedom of other individuals; they therefore believe in negative freedoms. Another belief is that the individual is more important than society, which leads them to strongly believe in individual freedoms. Since liberalism developed during the Enlightenment, they believe that humans should use reason to break the bondage of ignorance. Liberals believe in justice, as long as everyone does what they can. If I work hard, I should be rewarded, but if I harm others, I should be punished. They also believe that the individual should be tolerant of what others believe, while maintaining their own beliefs. Liberals believe that government should be small and not interfere with the market. They believe the government should provide safety nets, but these should be minimal. Today, people who subscribe to these central themes are known as classical liberals. Modern liberals also believe in these central themes; however, they disagree on how they should be applied. They also added their own beliefs that classical liberals do not subscribe to. Modern liberals believe in negative liberty, but most believe that with this liberty they should use it in a positive way to enlighten themselves. They therefore believe in positive freedom. Like liberals, they also believe that the individual is important. However, they believe in helping society and those in need by adopting collectivism. The mode...... middle of paper ...... for marijuana would lead to the growth of the hemp industry. Hemp is known to be a strong fiber that can be manufactured in many areas and can also help the environment. Since liberals are convinced of reason and are enlightened, they will say that there are numerous studies that show that marijuana is a drug with mixed results. Some studies show that marijuana is a harmless drug, while others say that marijuana is harmful. Liberals would say that even though many studies give different results, we need to do more studies that give a definitive answer as to whether marijuana is harmful or not. If marijuana was legalized, modern liberals would put in place laws to ensure that children did not get hold of marijuana, put in place strict regulations, and ensure that the money saved and earned was used to improve the economy, to finance programs. and pay off all our debts