What would a modern liberal say about the Canadian government's legalization of cannabis? Before answering this question we should see what modern liberalism is. Modern liberalism is a variant of liberalism. Liberalism is an ideology that no one, not even the government, should interfere with the freedom of other individuals, so they believe in negative freedoms. Another belief is that the individual is more important than society, which leads them to have a strong belief in individual freedoms. Because liberalism grew during the Age of Enlightenment, they believe that humans should use reason to break the bondage of ignorance. Liberals believe in justice because everyone does what they want. If I work hard, I should be rewarded, but if I cause harm to another individual, I should be punished. They also believe that the individual should be tolerant of what others believe, while maintaining their own beliefs. Liberals think government should be small and not interfere with the market. They believe the government should provide safety nets, but it should be minimal. People today who adhere to these central themes are known as classical liberals. Modern liberals also believe in these central themes; however I 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 freedom, however most believe that with this freedom 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 matters. However, they believe that it is important to help society and those who need help by embracing collectivism. The way… middle of paper… for marijuana would grow the hemp industry. Hemp is known for being a durable fiber that can be made into many things and can even help the environment. Since liberals are very right and being enlightened, they will say that there are many studies that show that marijuana is a drug that has mixed results. There are studies that show that marijuana is a harmless drug while others say that marijuana causes harm. Liberals would say that although many studies show different results, we need to do more studies that show a definitive answer as to whether marijuana is harmful or not. If marijuana were legalized, modern liberals would put laws in place to make sure children don't get hold of marijuana, to put in place strict regulations, and to make sure that the money that is saved and earned goes towards improving the economy, funding programs, and paying off any debt. that we have