Mo Wants to Know: Go Green or Bud Bust?

A California voter initiative that would legalize possession and sale of marijuana has qualified for the November ballot, and if passed, will make California the first state making it legal for anyone over 21 to possess up to an ounce and cultivate whatever they can fit in a 5 x 5 foot plot. The initiative appears to have strong and broad support, with some 56% of Californians polled being in favor of its legalization for social use. According to Gallop, 44% of all Americans also support its legalization. A 2005 Harvard study estimated that legalization could save $7.7 billion per year in spending on enforcing the drug laws, the majority of that ($5.3 billion) at the state and local level. Critics say, though, that its social implications would far outweigh the benefits it would bring, stating that the societal damage from alcohol and tobacco use would only increase with the legalization of marijuana. So, today, I want to talk about legalizing green.

Did you know that the U.S. prison population is six to ten times that of most Western European nations? Second only to Russia in its rate of incarceration, much of this is driven by our "war on drugs". In 2000, more than 734,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses alone. Since 1990, nearly 5.9 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges; Just to put that in perspective, that's a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and Washington D.C. combined. New FBI statistics indicate that one marijuana smoker is arrested every 45 seconds, far exceeded the combined number of arrests for violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

California has a $20 billion deficit, and supporters of the bill say that taxing pot could bring the state $1.4 billion annually. By some estimates, California's marijuana crop is a $14-billion-a-year industry, exceding both vegetables ($5.7 billion) and grapes ($2.6 billion) combined. In Oregon, backers are collecting signatures for a potential initiative that would use some of the tax revenue to build new industries, such as producing hemp as a bio-fuel. Especially during this current economic climate, taxation could help many states because the market for the drug is universal.

Like any substance, marijuana can be abused. The most common problem is that it induces lethargic behavior and short-term memory loss while under the influence. It does not, however, impair long-term memory. Marijuana does not cause brain damage, genetic damage, or damage the immune system. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not kill brain cells or induce violent behavior. Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or alcohol, such as cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, or liver damage, nor has there ever been a single recorded case of death caused by marijuana. In fact, it has been proven useful in the treatments of such illnesses as glaucoma, cancer, HIV, AIDS, chronic pain, migraines, arthritis, epilepsy, nausea, muscle spasticity, and multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, there is no hard evidence that marijuana is a "gateway drug", leading to the use of more potent substances. In fact, the American Medical Association protested the Marijuana Tax Act soon after its passing in 1937. Legalization would allow for greater regulation, and therefore force higher health standards of the product, as it does with tobacco manufacturers.

I don't believe that it is a worthwhile effort to have a law that would forbid someone from willingly exposing their own bodies to the harmful effects of this substance, any more than it would be to pass a law against over-eating. Obesity is a national epidemic, killing millions every year, but the government has no right to regulate how much we eat. It's "immorality" can only be based on one set of moral beliefs, such as the belief that intoxication by alcohol is immoral, and we now know that prohibition doesn't work, either. It is my belief that our responsibility is to respect individual free will and the right of self-determination. I think a person has the right to give up their personal freedoms, but a goverment has no right to dictate them.

There is no clear and obvious third party harm. Harm caused to children by their parents' excessive drug use, insofar as it constitutes child neglect, is already criminal. Drug-specific laws are then repetitious and, therefore, unneeded. The 'war on drugs', on the other hand, does have clear and obvious third-party harm by the loss of loved-ones being imprisoned for it's use, not to mention the public resources spent in arresting these victim-less "criminals".

And now you know what Mo thinks, so tell me, 'cause Mo Wants to Know:

Do you think marijuana should be decriminalized, and/or legalized? Or, do you believe it would open a Pandora's box to all kinds of other issues I haven't considered? What is the reasoning for your belief?

And, again, I do hope that you will take a minute to comment here and let me know your opinion, as I am very interested to hear what you think.