Splicetoday

Politics & Media
Nov 17, 2008, 04:56AM

Legalize It

With a recession in sight, the case for legalizing marijuana and taxing it for government revenue seems more practical than ever.

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Photo by The Equinist.

Any American, given about a minute, can tick off a list naming examples of disgrace in our 21st century society. You pick your hobbyhorse, I’ll pick mine, and let the free-for-all begin. It’s mind-boggling, at least in this corner, that there’s still actually a debate among politicians and citizens over the issue of medicinal marijuana use. In 1982, as a young man not yet 30, my mother was slowly dying of brain cancer, and one day she asked if I could purchase a small quantity of pot to relieve the pain of chemotherapy.

I hadn’t used the illegal substance for several years, but it wasn’t hard to find, and so on a visit to our house she was given a small bag of Mexican grass, and for the first time in her life she toked up. It wasn’t to her liking and so that experiment ended, but, after years of worrying about this sort of drug use among her five sons—my parents swallowed all the scare tactics from the government and media in the 1960s—she’d come to realize that in the scheme of things, smoking marijuana wasn’t, in the vast majority of cases, likely to derail a person’s life. As for her fellow cancer patients, Mom said, “Look, we’re dying, it’s not as if puffing on a joint [I’d never heard her say that word and was slightly taken aback] will be the ‘gateway’ to heroin.” None of my friends and acquaintances who are physicians disagree with that simple statement.

It’s my opinion that not only should marijuana be freely available to those suffering from ravaging diseases—as if the plant is any more harmful than the other drugs dispensed several times a day—but it ought to be legalized and sold at pharmacies and maybe even convenience stores. I understand this is an issue that no politician will touch—in the early 1990s Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, once considered a rising star in national Democratic circles did himself no favors by advocating decriminalization—but if you suspend immediate judgment and think about it, who would it harm?

Consider this: In 2007, according to the FBI’s “Uniform Crime Report," cited by The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a record number of 872,721 people were arrested for marijuana violations, and 89 percent of those Americans were nabbed for “personal use.” Violent crime ebbs and flows, often depending on locale, but someone please explain to me why people who favor smoking pot, which is arguably much less dangerous than excessive consumption of alcohol, are the prey of police officers across the country? Maybe it’s a matter of low-hanging fruit, but the waste of time in arresting offenders, court appearances and in many instances, incarceration, is a crime in and of itself. Does it make any sense at all to jail a 23-year-old, throwing him into a prison population that will likely result not in “rehabilitation,” but a needlessly disrupted life?

One significant fact that would grab the attention of federal and local office-holders (at least in private), charged with juggling budgets, is the vast stream of revenue each of the country’s 50 states would realize as a result of selling marijuana, like cigarettes, on the open market, with every pack or pouch of pot fetching several dollars in “sin taxes.” The government could regulate the potency and purity of the marijuana, and sell it for a reasonable, if high, price, nearly obliterating the black market, thus further making a significant dent in the ranks of those who profit from manufacturing and selling large amounts of the drug. Like alcohol and tobacco, vendors would be prohibited from selling marijuana to those under 21, and the requisite health warnings would be prominently placed on each unit sold.

It’s an unfortunate reality that the political bureaucracy, even if there was an eventual consensus on legalizing marijuana, would take years to implement such a dramatic change—one can only imagine the ballot propositions, constitutional amendments and the like that would have to be traversed, not to mention the harrumphing of cultural conservatives who’d like to lord over the private lives of citizens—and so any economic windfall is in the future. Which is a shame, since given today’s perilous financial climate, a new infusion of cash, every single day, would help shorten a recession. Then again, if legislators acted now the benefits could be realized in time for the next, and inevitable, economic downturn.

As for the “morality” of legalizing marijuana, I just don’t want to hear it. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity can stuff it. No one would force people to start smoking the stuff, just as no one forces people to take a drink, indulge in a tobacco habit or pop anti-depressants.

As Barack Obama prepares to occupy the Oval Office in January, this modest (in my opinion) proposal is worthy of his consideration, especially if he does intend to follow FDR’s example and set forth a very ambitious agenda for the first year of his presidency, before he begins his 2012 campaign. I’m not naïve and don’t expect Obama will even give a moment’s thought to the subject—hell, if he lifts the embargo on Cuba next year, that’ll be amazing, and long overdue, enough.

Nevertheless, the legalization of marijuana is an initiative that shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand: correcting the travesty of arresting harmless and non-violent citizens, plus the monetary gain is extraordinarily compelling. All that’s needed is a group of politicians with vision and guts to bring the issue to the forefront of debate in the United States.

Discussion
  • Agreed.

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  • I whole-heartedly agree with you, Russ. It's not as if pot being illegal has really deterred anyone from smoking it and this country would make a ton of dough from the taxation. And the timing is perfect, Cheech and Chong are reunited!

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  • Yes, the legalization of marijuana is long overdue...yet, I don't see it happening anytime soon!

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  • I could not agree more. A few more fun facts of pot: 1. Other than doctored government studies, marijuana has never been found to be chemically addictive. 2. Psychological studies have shown that pot can reduce anxiety for those suffering from some, not all, anxiety disorders. Like ritilin, it seems counter-intuitive but leads me to the third point 3. The illegal stigma has hindered many studies of medicinal use of this cheap and widely available weed.

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  • It makes all the sense in the world...which is exactly why it won't happen. Obama may talk a big game about change but I'll believe when I see it.

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  • Interesting that you bring up the economics of the whole issue with regard to taxation. I always thought that was the most practical argument for legalizing gay marriage - it would cause a sustained boom in the floral, cake decorating, photography, party planning, catering, tuxedo rental (and on and on) industries.

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  • well said

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  • I thought we learned these lessons from prohibition era.

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  • Not to mention lowering the drinking age...

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  • Doubly agreed.

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  • Russ, I very much agree with you. However, you left something rather glaring out of your article. During the primary season, Democrats were probed as to their positions of decriminalization. An aide for the now President-elect replied that Mr. Obama SUPPORTS decriminalization with a catch: He would never introduce legislation to affect such change. Perhaps he would be more open than you make it seem, and at the very least this certainly bears mentioning in an article of this nature.

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  • http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/15/obamas-views-on-drugs/ Not exactly cut and dry. Which politician's views are?

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  • Legalize the pot, but enforce extremely harsh penalties for distributing it to minors. Marajuana can practically destroy a developing mind, especially for children under 15. Even occasional use before 15 commonly results in debilitating lifelong anxiety and depression, and occasionally paranoia, retardation, and worse. THC aggregates in fatty brain tissue and retards its proper development. I do not care as much about boys getting boobs or teeny weenies, or completely sexually misdeveloping, but widespread misdevelopment of the teenage brain will result in severe long term penalties for society. Do not allow Children easier access to marajuana!

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  • As logical as this seems, like Russ said, it will definitely not happen anytime soon, if at all. Association with marijuana can end political careers and politicians will understandably be hesitant to pursue any serious legislation, let alone gather enough support to make any serious progress. Also, despite the benefits for cancer patients, marijuana still contains more carcinogens than cigarettes (correct me if I'm wrong because I'm not positive on that.) With all the current action and legislation resulting from anti-smoking groups, I think it would be hard to legalize yet another harmful substance for people to inhale into their lungs.

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  • Bravo! I have an occasional cigarette, and a nightly cocktail. I tried pot when I was in college and did not like it, it made me sick to my stomach. Having said that, I think it's no worse than alcohol and should be legalized. Maybe we should legalize more drugs and make them less potent so fewer people die of overdoses.

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  • let's assume, just for the sake of it, that out of the nearly 900,000 people who get arrested annually, there are probably 10 times that many people who don't get caught....so how are you telling me that you can't make sense out of taxing $10-20 per week for 3 percent or more of the population? let's just go ahead and assume (liberally) that there's an even mix among users and the government makes $15 per user...so that's 9 million folks giving approximately $7 billion per year...hell that's enough to cover 4 or 5 (maybe) ceo's bonus packages in the next bailout....something to think about....and i don't believe it would inhibit the tax revenue currently gained from tobacco and alcohol....it's already happening....this just makes too much sense....

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  • Your statements here are all practical and appropriate but lets add to that by doing the math. Mine tells me that if you take the 872,000 or so arrests for personal use and factor all associated costs with that and then you created a tax on selling it you could save $85 billion in expense and create revenue of $50 billion...(maybe more if you count "the war on drugs"...fiscal conservatives can certainly warm up to the idea of $135 Billion more in the treasury without raising taxes on income. There is the kind of practical regulation that an effective government should practice.

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  • I couldn't agree more. Every strain, variety, and form of marijuana should be legalized and freely available for all 18 and over. I think it's absolutely ridiculous and quite frankly disgusting that it's illegality is largely caused by nervous needle-dicked politicians who care about their careers and not their constituencies.

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  • I completely disagree. Marijuana should be illegal for the same reason suicide is, you live less. I'm not saying Marijuana is that harmful, but rather, being high is an escapism from the human experience. It is more important for the terminally ill to make the most out of life than anyone else. In these hard economic times? We should be there for them.

  • Can you define "human experience" please? I think that several known marijuana-users throughout history have been able to experience life and make their mark in history fairly successfully. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, and that's just a select few from a select period in time. I don't think that marijuana was the sole reason for their genius in any way, but it certainly was an aspect of their persona. Then again, I can't imagine "I Am the Walrus" being written without a drug of some kind being used.

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  • Obama will not decriminalize it. He said he would before, but he wont. Theres more important things going on in the US to focus on decriminalizing or legalizing pot. And even if there wasn't anything more important going on, Obama wouldn't touch the subject.

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  • So your problem is that it's escapism, Jse? What are you, a scientologist? Drinking is escapism. And eating. Not to mention sex, exercising, church.... (Though, thankfully I've managed to stay off those last two.) Why are these not parts of the "human experience?" Maybe you're missing out on some valuable experiences.

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  • JSE, You've got to be kidding about "escapism". I have seen too many people die in excruciating pain from bone cancer, chemo and other terrible life ending experiences to not want them to escape the pain and suffering that a little pot could supply. Those terminally ill could actually enjoy their final days with a little relief from the debilitating pain and sickness that pot relieves. As for an earlier comment about minors (under 15) they are currently some of the predominant users whose illicit supply would dry up considerably if it were controlled like alcohol. Legalizing is by far the best possible solution to many issues.

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  • LEGALIZE.

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  • for the record, nobody ever died from a marijuana overdose. also, the body naturally has an endogenous neurotransmitter in the brain that marijuana functions on, meaning that the body is already producing itself a substance that shares the effects of the drug. i think if scientists can figure out why this chemical pathway exists and/or why and in what instances is it functions, then people will have a better grasp on the purpose of its use, and a higher chance of accepting its use.

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  • Everybody knows that weed is less addictive and healthier than tobacco, and less dangerous and intoxicating than alcohol. What they need to learn is that if it were legal, not only would we not have to police it and would be able to tax it, it would also eliminate the "gateway drug" affect If people didn't have to meet with criminals to get high, they would be immeasurably less likely to start doing any other drugs.

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  • What most infuriates me is that binge drinking is perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged as an age-appropriate activity for people in their 20s, when it is such a destructive habit, and pot is looked at as more harmful. For a great source of information about the medicinal marijuana movement (or standstill, as it were) watch the doc "In Pot We Trust".

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  • You don't have to sell me on the embarrassment of medicinal weed being illegal in so man places, or, as the article says, the weed should be legalized. However, to be fair, the subject of binge drinking is hardly "acceptable" and colleges across the country have clamped down on it. It's hardly an "acceptable" practice, even among a lot of young people, and definitely not considered "age-appropriate" by people over 30.

  • Well nobody can stop binge drinking over 21.

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  • Vote and express your opinion on the Legalization of Marijuana and more issues at Global Opinion: http://www.globalopinion.eu

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  • It is way past time to legalize and tax this natural grown WEED. I have been around herb for over 30 years and have found most pot smokers are generally much healthier and more responsible then most drinkers. In this tough economic climate we all need to speak out and help make this long over due process HAPPEN.

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