The Need to be Able to Change

They have legalized marijuana in Canada, and  that is  a very good thing.  They join the ragtag band of plucky countries and U.S. states who have lightened up on pot in recent years.  Nobody, yet, has legalized it quite to the extent that it should be legal (It’s a plant, with zero known negative side effects and plenty of known health benefits.  It should be as legal as carrots.  Grow it, sell it, give it away, smoke it, bake it into brownies, do whatever you  want to do, and let all the prisoners out of jail  and clear their record) but we’ll celebrate every bit of progress we make.
The whole illegalization thing was based on  a pack of  lies, and knowing what we now know, there is no reason – zero, not one, nada, zilch – to maintain that farce.  Yet, there are major forces (big pharma, big tobacco, big alcohol, the private prison industry, corrupt politicians getting money from all the above, and some people in law enforcement just because they are power tripping assholes) arrayed against it.
The thing is, even though they have a lot of money, and a lot of influence, they don’t have a case.  Like, at all.
That is a huge problem with our society.  Even when something is clearly wrong, and pointless, and stupid, we often seem powerless to change it.  But, that really can’t remain the case if we want the human race to survive on this planet (and it  would still be pretty darned difficult for us to survive anywhere else).  We have to be able to change.  We have to be able to say “Well, that was dumb.  Let’s do it the right way now,” and change course.
That applies to the environment, international relations, everything.  Marijuana is  just one example.