Pubdate: Sat, 11 Jun 2016
Source: News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Copyright: 2016 The News-Herald
Contact:  http://www.news-herald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/305
Author: William Dauenhauer

THE ECONOMICS OF LEGALIZING POT

When the subject of legalizing marijuana comes up, there seems to be 
plenty of mixed emotions, clashing of opinion and even ambivalence of 
tolerance in our society. We generally disdain excessive use of 
alcohol and nicotine as anodynes - painkilling drugs or medicines - 
but a rigid line is drawn between hedonistic marijuana use and an 
almost Calvinistic condemnation of the drug.

Currently, we understand that 25 states, including Ohio, allow the 
use of marijuana for the relief of chronic pain, and just four states 
for "recreational" escape.

At the same time, the federal government is considering the drug for 
the easing of veterans' post-traumatic stress. The line of 
demarcation between "opiate" and "medicine" becomes less exact in 
legal and moral terms.

Also, according to the June 1, 2016, edition of The Progressive 
Populist, the Texas legislature recently allowed for marijuana to be 
used in the treatment of epileptic seizures.

As with Prohibition and campaigns against tobacco, economics will 
ultimately decide the question, and the legal commercialization of 
the substance will be ours to deal with as best we're able.

Just as it was with pornography, gambling and lofty moral principles, 
the drug will be absorbed into the social fabric - only one more 
imperfection in an imperfect world.

William Dauenhauer

Willowick
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom