Pubdate: Mon, 09 Apr 2012
Source: Herald, The (AR Edu)
Copyright: 2012 ASU Herald
Contact:  http://www.asuherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2796
Author: Andrei Varney

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS THE RIGHT CHOICE

Being from the North, I was quite shocked when I arrived in Jonesboro
to find out that the county, city and university itself were dry.

The ban on alcohol immediately reminded me of prohibition, and I
particularly thought of how outdated and primitive this law is.

I should not be surprised, though, since this is the South, and
politicians and religious leaders are quick to enter our homes and
regulate our personal freedoms.

But fear not -- there is a safer alternative, one that may be legal
throughout the entire U.S. one day.

Recently, students on campus circulated petitions to place a measure
on the ballot for Arkansans to vote on in November.

The measure entails the legalization of medical marijuana for personal
use in the state of Arkansas.

The group Arkansans for Compassionate Care began circulating petitions
in hopes of reaching the 62,000 required signatures by July 6th.

Some students on this campus circulated petitions, and eventually I
came to hear of it by word of mouth.

But I don't think that goes far enough. Arkansas (and the rest of the
U.S.) should legalize marijuana for both medicinal and personal use.

It is statistically proven that marijuana is safer than alcohol. A
recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association noted that smoking marijuana in moderation (a joint a
week) is not bad for you.

In a 20-year study of 5,000 marijuana smokers, lung function remained
the same in moderate marijuana smokers. Lung function, however, did
not remain the same for moderate cigarette smokers.

Not only does marijuana seem safer than alcohol, it seems safer than
cigarettes, if consumed in moderation.

If one closely examines drug laws, one can notice an underlying
pattern of race. During the Gold Rush in the 19th century, the U.S.
banned opium, after the mass migration of Chinese to the West.

In the 1900s, cocaine was criminalized because the government alleged
that Southern blacks were raping white women after taking cocaine.

Even the New York Times eventually fell for the false hysteria and
published an article on February 11, 1914, alleging "Most of the
attacks upon white women of the South are the direct result of the
'cocaine crazed Negro brain.'"

The phrase "cocaine-crazed Negro" swept the nation.

A host of anti-cocaine laws followed. Marijuana became illegal next,
after Hispanics began bringing it across the border from Mexico.

The result was the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. The aim was to use the tax
system to make marijuana so expensive that no one could afford it.

Government officials still did not feel the Constitution allowed them
to ban the drug or tell citizens what they could put in their own bodies.

Laws today banning the use of marijuana violate our civil liberties.
Again, the government is allowed to intrude upon my personal life and
tell me what I can or cannot consume.

What makes it even sillier is that I am sure we all know someone who
smokes pot.

Let's face it; marijuana is the most popular and easily accessible
drug in this country -- so why criminalize it?

I believe the legalization and taxation of marijuana could be
positive. Of course, the government would have to solve the problem of
drug cartels, but taxing marijuana in the U.S. would undoubtedly bring
about much needed revenue for the U.S. Government.

Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for
medicinal purposes.

None of these states are located in the South -- so I have to give
credit to Arkansans for Compassionate Care for advocating for laws
that are more grounded in reality.

Though medical marijuana may not become legal in Arkansas, we should
pay careful attention to the national stage- as more states are bound
to legalize it eventually.

The legalization is more common sense than anything
else.

Not only will it allow those with certain illnesses to live life with
more dignity, it can provide the government with a much needed source
of income, as the cost of keeping marijuana illegal is expensive.

Many religions require their followers to use marijuana just like many
require adherents to consume alcohol for Communion.

The hemp plant is a valuable natural resource. Legalizing marijuana
would eliminate the confusion surrounding hemp and allow us to take
advantage of hemp's agricultural and industrial uses.

I don't understand why the government is wasting time arresting people
for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Not only is it an attack on my personal freedom to consume what I
choose to but is a waste of government resources, even though alcohol
and tobacco are proven to be more dangerous and much more worth of
government regulation.

I say let people be happy, and let the government focus on greater
worries than the occasional joint-smoking citizen.

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Varney is a graduate student in political science of Green Bay, WI
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MAP posted-by: Matt