Marijuana remains legal taboo
The debate over whether marijuana
should be legalized for medicinal and recreational
purposes has been a hot topic for
years. Ethan Nadelmann, the founder of the
Drug Policy Alliance, argues that the overall
cost of keeping marijuana illegal outweighs
the benefits both finically and in matters of
punishment for those involved in the use or
sales of marijuana.
Nadelmann states that the financial cost to tax payers is approximately $10 to $15 billion and those who are imprisoned for association with marijuana are being unjustly punished. The Office of National Drug Control Policy contradicts Nadelmann and claims that marijuana is more harmful than people seem to think.
According to the ONDCP, it causes physical, mental and emotional problems for those who use it and encourages violence in those who sell it. Although the ONDCP has a seemingly valid point on the behaviours of those who sell and use marijuana, it ignores the facts that not all individuals who associate themselves with marijuana act in that way, marijuana does have its benefits, and it would be more beneficial to legalize marijuana in the long term.
Punishment for the possession of marijuana in the U.S. is extremely harsh and unnecessary. About 87 per cent of all marijuanarelated arrests are for possession of small amounts and altogether 700,000 people are arrested yearly due to marijuana charges, this is an unreasonable amount when compared to the 600,000 people arrested for relations to cocaine, heroin, meth, ecstasy and all other prohibited drugs combined.
The charges for possession can include; 15 years to life in prison, losing custody of children, being deported if one is not American born, suspension or lost driver's licence, inability to gain financial aid and so on. The marijuana charges one can face are comparable to murder in some states, the fact that someone can spend the same amount of time in jail for marijuana charges as murder is obscene. The punishment for those who are charged with marijuana-related charges needs to become much less severe since the crimes are not severe enough for this level of punishment.
The claim that marijuana is a gateway drug is an overrated statement. In fact, the majority of those who use marijuana, whether it be once or on a regular basis, do not continue onto more serious drug abuse such as taking cocaine or heroin. Keeping marijuana illegal to prevent the gateway effect is like "trying to reduce motorcycle fatalities by cracking down on bicycle riding," according to hempworld.com.
In a medical sense, marijuana has been used in many treatments for various conditions such as glaucoma, asthma, convulsions, epilepsy, migraine headaches, reduction of nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite associated with chemotherapy treatment. In many states, voters have passed the legal use of medicinal marijuana but the government still refuses to legalize it officially.
The ONDCP believes marijuana use causes physical, mental and emotional harm as well as promotes violence in those who sell marijuana. Marijuana causes no more physical harm than smoking cigarettes or drinking heavy amounts of alcohol yet it is still illegal. The mental and emotional effects of marijuana again are not as harmful of those related to long-term smoking or drinking. To state that drug dealers will have a higher potential to be violent in order to protect their assets could also be said about those who have expensive cars, homes or other assets; most people who posses items of value are more likely to go to further extents to protect their investments.
The legalization of marijuana is and most likely will always be a touchy and high tension issue. To many, the benefits outweigh the consequences, but to others the consequences outweigh the benefits. In order to resolve this issue, the government should allow citizens to vote on whether they want to legalize marijuana or keep it illegal, and should the votes choose to legalize it and problems arise, it can then be criminalized once again. Although this may be a lengthy process, it would, in the end, produce a majority agreed upon decision.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Nadelmann states that the financial cost to tax payers is approximately $10 to $15 billion and those who are imprisoned for association with marijuana are being unjustly punished. The Office of National Drug Control Policy contradicts Nadelmann and claims that marijuana is more harmful than people seem to think.
According to the ONDCP, it causes physical, mental and emotional problems for those who use it and encourages violence in those who sell it. Although the ONDCP has a seemingly valid point on the behaviours of those who sell and use marijuana, it ignores the facts that not all individuals who associate themselves with marijuana act in that way, marijuana does have its benefits, and it would be more beneficial to legalize marijuana in the long term.
Punishment for the possession of marijuana in the U.S. is extremely harsh and unnecessary. About 87 per cent of all marijuanarelated arrests are for possession of small amounts and altogether 700,000 people are arrested yearly due to marijuana charges, this is an unreasonable amount when compared to the 600,000 people arrested for relations to cocaine, heroin, meth, ecstasy and all other prohibited drugs combined.
The charges for possession can include; 15 years to life in prison, losing custody of children, being deported if one is not American born, suspension or lost driver's licence, inability to gain financial aid and so on. The marijuana charges one can face are comparable to murder in some states, the fact that someone can spend the same amount of time in jail for marijuana charges as murder is obscene. The punishment for those who are charged with marijuana-related charges needs to become much less severe since the crimes are not severe enough for this level of punishment.
The claim that marijuana is a gateway drug is an overrated statement. In fact, the majority of those who use marijuana, whether it be once or on a regular basis, do not continue onto more serious drug abuse such as taking cocaine or heroin. Keeping marijuana illegal to prevent the gateway effect is like "trying to reduce motorcycle fatalities by cracking down on bicycle riding," according to hempworld.com.
In a medical sense, marijuana has been used in many treatments for various conditions such as glaucoma, asthma, convulsions, epilepsy, migraine headaches, reduction of nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite associated with chemotherapy treatment. In many states, voters have passed the legal use of medicinal marijuana but the government still refuses to legalize it officially.
The ONDCP believes marijuana use causes physical, mental and emotional harm as well as promotes violence in those who sell marijuana. Marijuana causes no more physical harm than smoking cigarettes or drinking heavy amounts of alcohol yet it is still illegal. The mental and emotional effects of marijuana again are not as harmful of those related to long-term smoking or drinking. To state that drug dealers will have a higher potential to be violent in order to protect their assets could also be said about those who have expensive cars, homes or other assets; most people who posses items of value are more likely to go to further extents to protect their investments.
The legalization of marijuana is and most likely will always be a touchy and high tension issue. To many, the benefits outweigh the consequences, but to others the consequences outweigh the benefits. In order to resolve this issue, the government should allow citizens to vote on whether they want to legalize marijuana or keep it illegal, and should the votes choose to legalize it and problems arise, it can then be criminalized once again. Although this may be a lengthy process, it would, in the end, produce a majority agreed upon decision.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
