Marijuana opponents think we should keep the drug far away from
our society. They think legalization would only allow its negative
effects to take over. We argue quite the opposite: If we bring pot
closer to the mainstream, we will watch many of the problems go up
in smoke.
With the recent 10-year anniversary of Proposition 215 ““
which legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes ““
it’s time to let go of the restrictions on a drug that does
little harm so we can instead integrate it safely into our
society.
When marijuana was banned in the 1930s because of the
nation’s fear of drugs during Prohibition, pot became
stigmatized along with alcohol as a dangerous and immoral
substance. Alcohol has managed to shake off some of that image and
is now regulated and taxed.
Legislators should follow suit with marijuana.
Most of the fears about marijuana don’t hold up when you
look at the research. In fact, the drug is no more harmful to the
body than many other legal substances.
Smoking tobacco causes heart problems and lung cancer, while
alcohol leads to liver disease and increased blood pressure. All of
these health risks are higher than what’s been associated
with marijuana usage.
Most research has been unable to prove that marijuana has any
major long-term effects on the body. So there is no reason it
should be stigmatized and punished more harshly than cigarettes and
booze.
If marijuana were legalized, much of the danger associated with
the drug would be avoided.
Pot should leave the somewhat shady hands of your neighborhood
drug dealer and be put in an aisle in your local supermarket
““ taxed and regulated.
Mainstream, regulated pot usage would create a system that
encourages safer drugs and more openness.
Legalization of marijuana would halt illegal trafficking and
dealing. People wouldn’t have to worry about the lives put in
danger to get the drug into the United States if it grew on
regulated farms.
Quality and safety wouldn’t be issues either. Users would
know exactly where their product came from and exactly what is in
it ““ another concern for those who otherwise choose to buy
from black-market sources.
This isn’t to say pot is a carefree substance with no
consequences. Like any drug, it can ruin lives, and thousands have
checked into clinics for marijuana addiction.
Like all drugs, it has negative consequences, but regulation of
the drug would mitigate those concerns. What we argue for is a safe
and regulated public use of the drug.
Others argue about the dangers of marijuana as a gateway drug,
saying its ease of use and access can facilitate a graduation to
other, more damaging drugs. But marijuana is only considered a
gateway drug because it holds a spot between tobacco and harder
drugs. If pot became as open as cigarettes it couldn’t be a
gateway drug any longer.
This nation has already learned from Prohibition how ineffective
it is to arbitrarily restrict substances that aren’t
particularly dangerous. We’d be better off to legalize it,
regulate it, and make it useful and safe for everyone.