WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1999

When will war on marijuana end?

The United States has been engaged in a battle it cannot win for the last 60 years. Federal, state and local governments spend $31 billion on average per year since the U.S. government declared war in 1937.

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Eliza Escano

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Since then, this war tactic of fear and ignorance has only served to spawn a rapidly growing resistance. This battle is the marijuana legalization movement.

Despite the official outlaw of marijuana with the Marijuana Tax of 1937, this controlled substance has become the nation's third most popular recreation drug and teen drug usage has doubled in the past seven years.

Six states including California have already put the issue on the ballot with medical benefits, the potential for profit and the redeeming social value justify the drug's free usage. As America has learned with its lost cause - alcohol prohibition of the early 1900s - incarcerating marijuana is not the answer. Clearly, a new direction is needed: legalize marijuana.

There are those that contend that marijuana or pot is a dangerous "gateway drug" that leads to even more dangerous narcotic usage. But according to the Institute of Medicine's latest report this was disproved.

It is true that marijuana smoke is more toxic than cigarette smoke and could cause cancer, lung damage, and pregnancy complications. However, alcohol is no different. Alcohol abuse also leads to cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and heart disease.

Some say marijuana is an addictive drug, but over 60 million, middle-aged Americans have admitted to trying it without any significant after effects including our very own President Bill Clinton.

Then, there are those who condemn all drugs on moral grounds. Morality is based on religion and is an acceptable gauge on an individual basis, not on a federal government level.

Our Constitution provides for separation of church and state. America's supposed most prized possession, freedom, is based upon this principle.

This freedom also includes the right of those who are ill to have access to the drug treatment they deserve, and, for some, marijuana's THC is the only effective medicine. To compensate for fume toxicity, two alternative forms are being developed: inhaler and pill. These alternatives are still years away from approval, which makes smoking the only logical choice.

Additionally, we should consider marijuana legalization's profit making potential. America's failed drug policy can be turned into a lucrative education and treatment program. As evident during the alcohol prohibition era, outlawing a substance creates a robust black market and encourages the growth of organized crime.

Marijuana legalization can also cure society's addictive wounds. Drug education and treatment programs would be funded through the substance's regulated sale. Presently, America is fighting a costly, losing battle.

Instead of addressing the problem of illicit drugs as war, it should be treated as an opportunity to curb a disease. Legalization is the solution. It is time for a change.

Eliza Escano is a public relations journalism major.