Once Time magazine keeps its article on pot as the cover story,
despite the fact the sniper has been caught and civlians in Russia are
being held hostage by Chechnian rebels, it is clearly obvious that not
only is the marijuana debate mainstream, it is vastly important.
Perhaps it is the fact that the War on Drugs (much like all the other
"idea wars" the United States government wages) has done nothing but cost
taxpayers wads of cash and police officers chunks of time over the years.
Maybe it is that Europeans, who appear to be ahead of us in more than just
time zones, have decided they like their police officers spending time
busting people for crimes such as robbery, rape, and murder, and loosened
the marijuana penalties accordingly. Or the states in the U.S. passing
laws permitting medical marijuana. Or Arizona’s attempt at
decriminalization this past election. Or Nevada, ever the innovator,
putting an amendment on the ballot that would have legalized marijuana,
had the stoners put down the Cheetos and headed to the polls. Or maybe,
and I sincerely doubt this is the case, the government has been paying
attention to statistics that show the majority of citizens in this country
agree with medical marijuana use and decriminalization (though not
legalization) in formal polls.
When presented with the facts, the decision looks simple: every year,
thousands of people die from alcohol poisoning. An average weight adult
male would have to smoke 900 joints consecutively to overdose on
marijuana. It simply cannot be done. Alcohol corrodes the liver. Marijuana
helps AIDS patients regain their appetite. Only nine percent of marijuana
users become physically addicted. That number tripled is the percentage
that become physically addicted to alcohol. The fact remains that we have
legal substances that are far more harmful to people physically and
mentally than marijuana ever would be. Yet alcohol is legal, and
marijuana, which can be used medically as well as recreationally, is
illegal.
The government is going about this all wrong. Everyone who has seen the
movie Traffic knows the War on Drugs is a huge failure. Other more
independent-press-savvy Americans are aware of evidence that indicates
some studies presented by the US government regarding the damaging effects
of marijuana use might be erroneous. Or the shocking statistic that there
are currently more people in jail for marijuana-related offenses than for
rape and murder combined, and that in 2001, a year focused on eradicating
terrorism, there was the second-highest number of marijuana-related
arrests ever recorded by the FBI.
Our government remains militant in its negative views on legalizing pot,
and this is only serving to hurt it. Think of all the money that could be
made back if marijuana was legalized, regulated, and then taxed. Medical
marijuana users would be happy, because they would be getting their
medication without having to worry about being chucked in jail.
Recreational marijuana users would be paying sales tax, but not getting
held in jail longer than some rapists and child molesters. The prisons
could be for those who commit actual crimes with actual victims. The
government could make some cash. The average marijuana buyer could be
assured that their purchase wasn't contaminated by rat poison. It seems
like a pretty decent arrangement for everyone.
This fall, NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws)
ran a campaign based on New York City mayor Bloomberg’s comment, "You bet
I did and I enjoyed it!" when asked if he’d smoked pot. Decriminalization,
medical marijuana initiatives that federal government respects, or
eventual legalization is going to take more than just a group mainstream
America perceives as "stoners" taking out a full-page ad in The New York
Times. It is going to take voters going to the polls and casting ballots
bubbled in favor of decriminalization and legalization. It is going to
take average citizens, who want their police forces going after actual
criminals, voicing what they have voiced in surveys like the one by
Time/CNN. Everyone knows how many baby boomers inhaled, now it’s time for
them to speak up about it.
submitted by “Mary Jane”
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