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The Benefits Of Marijuana Usage Should Be Enough For Legalization

Last week, five speakers met in the Lone Star Auditorium to discuss the benefits of legalizing marijuana.  It is our opinion that the costs of the war on marijuana far outweigh the results, and marijuana can provide medical benefits that are not available otherwise.  Whether or not students agree with our stance on the issue, they should be aware of how all drug policies can affect them. 

Speaker Clayton Jones said there are numerous proven benefits, and studies have not revealed negative effects.  Bryon Adinoff argued that there are potentially damaging effects and that the drug can be dangerous but also possibly useful in moderation.  According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, "Although few marijuana users develop dependence, some do.  But they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs ( including alcohol and nicotine ), and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs."

Studies have shown that the medical use of marijuana can help chemotherapy patients with vomiting and nausea. 

The Institute of Medicine's report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base states that "for patients such as those with AIDS or ...  who suffer simultaneously from severe pain, nausea and appetite loss, cannabinoid drugs might offer broad-spectrum relief not found in any other single medication."

James Quinn spoke on how the costs of prosecuting users are much too high and that arguments that marijuana use leads to violence are untrue and propagated for political reason. 

The Marijuana Policy Project is an organization that believes criminal penalties for marijuana use should be abolished.  Its Web site states that 734,498 people were arrested in 2002 for marijuana-related offenses.  Of those, about 88 percent of marijuana arrests are for possession - not the manufacture or distribution.  Many people, including young people who have never committed any violent crime, are put in prisons with violent offenders. 

The organization estimates that the war on marijuana costs taxpayers $12 billion annually.  By making the drug legal, it could be regulated and taxed, making it much more profitable for the government and society and safer for users. 

Whatever your views on the issue, make sure you know how marijuana laws affect you, and write your representative with any questions or concerns.