Treat
marijuana like alcohol
Mark
Hansel
Marijuana
should be legalized in the United States.
In a country that allows people to pickle
themselves in alcohol and poison themselves
with tobacco, there should be nothing wrong
with a little chronic and tonic.
Speaking
of tonic, marijuana actually has a lot of
medicinal value. People with glaucoma, arthritis,
cancer, arthritis, HIV/AIDS and multiple
sclerosis have all benefited from the use
of marijuana.
In
spite of recommendations from some doctors
and efforts by eight U.S. states to allow
some sort of medicinal marijuana use, the
government is determined to deprive Americans
of their favorite bud. The Supreme Court
recently ruled that federal laws regarding
marijuana use remain in effect and that
these take precedent over any state laws
that may have been passed.
Other
governments are at least making an effort
to examine the feasibility of medical marijuana.
We are not talking about a far-off country
such as Denmark. Our neighbor to the north,
Canada, has actually opened the door for
people with some medical conditions to legally
grow marijuana. If you're condition is chronic,
your relief may also be a little chronic.
How
ironic.
Currently
almost 300 people are permitted to grow
marijuana in Canada and more than 500 others
have submitted applications to do the same,
according to a report from ABC News.
It
seems unfortunate that a country that prides
itself on being the "land of the free"
would deprive its citizens of a little pain
relief during a time of serious illness.
There
are plenty of reasons besides medicinal
value to legalize marijuana. One thing to
consider is the will of the people. Increasing
numbers of Americans believe the drug should
at least be decriminalized, if not legalized.
More
than 70 percent of people in a recent Time
magazine/CNN poll favored decriminalization
of the drug, while a recent Zogby poll showed
that 41 percent of likely voters think marijuana
should be treated similar to alcohol. They
indicated the government should regulate
and tax marijuana, and keep it illegal for
children to use the drug.
Imagine
the huge boom to the government if it were
able to collect tax revenue from all of
the marijuana growers. While accurate estimates
are impossible to gather because of the
illegal nature of the business, there is
speculation that revenues run into the billions.
States such as Kentucky, California and
Massachusetts list marijuana among their
leading cash crops.
In
addition, legalization would seriously hamper,
if not eliminate, the amount of marijuana
being smuggled in from other countries.
This would free up DEA officials to deal
with the more harmful drugs in the country.
There
is also the argument that marijuana arrests
are crippling the legal system. Putting
otherwise law-abiding citizens in jail for
a victimless crime does nothing to impact
the drug problem in this country. People
just trying to make a few bucks or get a
little buzz are being locked up and slapped
with a criminal drug conviction that will
stay with them forever.
We're
talking about housewives and mothers --
more than 40 percent of those charged with
marijuana offenses are women -- and the
guy next door.
Meanwhile,
it is likely that continuing to make marijuana
illegal actually contributes to the crime
rate. As an illegal drug, the marijuana
trade is controlled by organized crime members
and gangs. The battle for a bigger piece
of the pot pie leads to turf wars and unnecessary
homicides that could be avoided with simple
legislation.
While
it is unlikely pot will ever be sold over-the-counter
like cigarettes, a viable plan could be
worked out.
Still,
it would be cool someday to go to the store
for a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs and a
pack of Sensimilla.
This
column originally appeared in The News Record
of the University of Cincinnati.
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