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Musician Carlos Santana is seen during an interview in Los
Angeles on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
The argument to legalize marijuana is back in the news, after rock legend and Obama supporter Carlos Santana said that marijuana needs to be legalized, while also taking a hard swipe at California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the Grammy-winning guitarist said, "I really believe that as soon as we legalize and decriminalize marijuana, we can actually afford a really good governor who won't keep taking money away from education and from teachers and send him back to Hollywood where he can do 'D' movies and we can get an 'A' governor."
Santana went on to give a heart-felt plea to President Obama, saying, "Bring the brothers home, and sisters home now. Legalize marijuana and take all that money and invest it in teachers and in education. You will see a transformation in America."
Last week, President Obama acknowledged that the issue is a popular subject of debate at a town hall meeting at the White House, saying that many questions from his online audience came in about whether legalizing marijuana to stimulate the economy is a good idea.
Obama answered, “The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy -- (laughter) -- to grow our economy."
But there are some lawmakers who disagree with him. California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano recently proposed a measure that would regulate marijuana in the state of California like alcohol - with people over the age of 21 allowed to grow, buy, sell, and possess cannabis. If passed, he claims that the legalization of marijuana would be worth billions to the state.
My question is, if our country can legalize alcohol and cigarettes, why not marijuana?
Of course, one should not be able to drive or operate machinery while under the influence, government should regulate its quality and safety, and there should be age requirements and health warnings on packaging, but why is marijuana being held to a different standard than cigarettes and alcohol?
Cigarette smoking is highly addictive, can lead to cancer, most commonly lung cancer, but also cancer of the lips, mouth, throat, and voice box. Smokers also have a higher risk of getting esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, cervix, bladder, and skin cancer. Cigarette smoking can also lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, cataracts, and fertility problems, not to mention stained gums and teeth.
Excessive drinking can cause liver disease and cirrhosis, which rank among the top 10 leading causes of death in the nation, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, heart failure and increased calorie intake (leading to obesity and a higher risk of diabetes). It can also lead to stroke and cardiomyopathy, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work efficiently, cardiac arrhythmia, (abnormal, irregular heartbeat) and sudden cardiac death.
Marijuana smoking, while thought to affect the brain and body many times long after one has stopped using the drug, is generally not any more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation.
So what’s the problem?
Legalization of marijuana would likely mean a lower price of the drug, reducing related crimes like theft. Street justice related to drug disputes would also be diminished. As with most bootleggers from the 1920’s, marijuana dealers would lose most or all of their business. Police and court resources would be freed up for more serious crimes. And legalization would also be a source of additional tax revenues.
The problem is that people are used to thinking that marijuana smoking is “bad.” We have forgotten that drinking used to be “bad.” In 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and congress ended prohibition, many people were shocked and alarmed. Then they got used to it. Now, there is very little crime, in comparison, related to the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of alcohol.
In contrast, cigarette smoking used to be “cool.” In the fifties, most movie stars, on screen and off, were rarely without a cigarette. Then in the early 1970’s, the harmful effects of cigarette smoking became widely publicized and we realized that cigarette smoking was very “uncool," in fact, actually "bad.” Some people still smoke despite. Many do not.
I don’t expect that the legalization of marijuana would be much different.
Comments
Amen! Smoke 'em if u got 'em...
A+...Great article! And so right!
well said!
smoke me a blunt to that article
Great article! If only logic were used in this situation. . . I think fear of the unknown is what is keeping the government away from this issue. Maybe if every productive citizen who smokes stood up for legalization, then an argument could be made?
I agree 100% with the artice le well written and i hope it goes our way
Well written i agree with the article 100% so just leagalize the stuff...
Thanks for addressing the debate-derailment subject of ‘machine operation and intoxication.’ Hearing this subject brought up by people with prohibitionist yearnings, at first seems like a naive insult to intelligence. As a frequent ‘epiphany’ though, it is another effective rally cry to those who fear that marijuana users, in particular, might not possess the moral obligation to respecting self and others when operating vehicles etc.
This is the most articulate article I've read in a long time... with respect to the Marijuana Debate. Very well done sir.
"War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity."
- Pope John Paul II, January 13, 2003
Stop all wars. Wars promote dehumanization of generations. COMPASSION IS OUR GREATEST TOOL. PATIENCE IS THE VIRTUE THAT LEADS TO ALL OTHER VIRTUES.
i agree with legalizing marijuana,not sure about the governator.i do think that the elected officials should do their job to the best of thir ability.as well as all americans.so if their not cutting it then we should do something to change that.
It's not difficult to say these things and proclaim them to be true among friends; the difficult part will be convincing conservative America that legalization is the only solution to preventing these massive drug invasions into our communities.
My main concern isn't making a good case, or that some politician might lose their job over supporting it... I can assure you that won't happen.
What I do foresee happening, though, is most of America going the way of legalization while the Bible Belt scoffs in fear... The invariable result being that those states continue to suffer in their ignorance while the rest of the nation prospers off of one of the largest markets out there.
Obama alone will not be able to make this happen. He needs to see this nation making some DAMNED noise about this!
We are not talking about getting pot-heads off the hook, we are talking about saving HUMAN LIVES south of the border. We are talking about saving lives all across America. We are talking about creating a multi-million dollar revenue for our government and creating millions of jobs from the government level to the production level.
Please, this does not need to be looked at as some trivial issue. This could drastically improve our nations way of life not over the course of a year or two but RIGHT NOW!!!
Tomorrow, people, TOMORROW we could be out of this mess and looking at a huge drop in crime, increased federal revenue, a multitude of job openings (do you realize how many things can be made on the cheap with hemp? They just figured out how to make plastic from it!!! NATURAL PLASTIC!), and a nation-wide sigh of stoner relief.
Drop the politics and save our nation. Today.
On 7/4/2009 everyone who supports legalization needs to show up in their major down town area at 8:00am and show Washington just how many people are tired of failed laws and being treated like criminals for marijuana. Please join me and the rest of the nation on the morning of July 4th, 2009, lets finally stand up for our own rights and force change of law! Please see your local NORML website for details, its time America!
Good article, Elyce, thank you. And it is precisely this, good journalism and honest reporting, that will help to turn the tide in the USA and the world, from ignorance and fear of this useful and fairly innocuous substance. Thanks to William Randolf Hearst, the media was instrumental in demonizing pot to begin with. But, if the media keeps hammering the issue as they have been lately, with objective scientific and economic facts, people and government will turn around.
btw, have you read the recent report by Glenn Greenwald, "Drug Decriminalization in Portugal:
Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies"? Excellant study on how successful Portugals decrim laws have been since 2001.
cato.org/pubs/wtpapers/greenwald_whitepaper.pdf
Iam a disabled man from ohio with multiple sclerosis/seizures and I cannot believe that this state(ohio) and every state in the usa,that does not have a compassion law on their books! Ohio does not have a compassion law on their books and Its really sick!!I have been suffering now for 15 + yrs.,because of this drug war that should be fought in the pharmacy!!! Thats where the hard drugs are at to get people addicted to them,I have seen it and pray that the people in every state let the people that are suffering with chronic pain , disease"s are smart enough to let them have their medical marijuana!!
change the media view on legalization, change the public view!! thats the key!
"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." -Abraham Lincoln U.S. President.
So ridiculous to try and change the foundation America was built on. Now here's what we conservative republicans in California will allow, without all the talk of changing the American paradigm as your article promotes based on our country's history and what the original forefathers wanted and not foremothers:
If cannabis was legally produced by companies the government could inspect them for sanitation, cleanliness, quality, and have a mandatory grading system and the government would charge grading service fees. Distributors would only be allowed to sell graded products from producers who are under the governments onsite inspection and grading program. DEA came from the FDA way back when which is great because they can go back to their old jobs at the FDA, update their science training and become certified graders and plant inspectors. The staff remaining in DEA could become Americas first line of defense against un-graded and un-inspected cannabis products from entering into US commerce.
What do you mean, "generally not anymore harmfull than tabaco or alchol"? People don't die from it. It is generally harmless. It can make you unmotivated or forgetfull, but so can TV.
If tobacco and alcohol are legal, then marijuana should be legal as well. The effects of marijuana are no worse than those of the other two substances. And the benefits of legalizing it would be numerous. There will be less people in jail due. And the government will get lots of revenue from taxes they could place on the substance. This is a great article!
Free the Weed!
Prohibition does not work; prohibition is a historical and contemporary failure.
Marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated for medical and recreational purposes.
Drug use and abuse should be treated as a medical problem, rather than a criminal problem.
All those incarcerated for non violent drug violations should be released immediately.
The war on drugs is a war on Americans. Let us end the assault on our friends and neighbors.
Free the Weed!
I think this is a very well written article .. It explains how the effects of marijuana are not as bad as cigarettes or alcohol .. So why not legalize it and give do exactly what you did with cigarettes and alcohol .. Give the people what they want ..
I ageee with this artical. good goin.
Although i do not smoke and prefer not to. The article that i just read was an excellent persuation to the legalisation of marijuana.
Marijuana should be leagalized.
I think that marijuana should be legalized because it is no worse than drinking. many people die in drunk driving incidents and still it is legal. marijuana is not a harmful drug you never hear on the news someone just died because of a high driver. God put marijuana on this earth to grow it is a natural drug and nothing is added so really its just part of mother nature and our economy needs the money!
Another condition that alcohol will give chronic user's is something called Delerium Tremor's or DT. That is a serious condition that literally causes the patient to halusinate, shake or shiver, iretabilaty, and even some cases die. This condition comes from when a person who is a heavy drinker stops there everyday drinking pattern. Alcohol is just plain bad. I've been in the medical feild for years, never has anyone come to me with a complaint of excessive smoking, but people die everyday from alcohol related injuries or from all the obivious reason's that alcohol and cigarrettes are bad for you.
LMAO - legalization is back in the news because... Carlos Santana said that marijuana needs to be legalized? In other news, David Duchovny, an Obama supporter, has said in an interview that group sex is a really great idea, and Obama should support it. Oh, and Patrick Star, another Obama supporter, has been pushing for new, green building techniques - principally the use of more rock in housing projects.
Nothing to see here folks. Move along...
I voted for Barack Obama in November, hoping for change. What did I get? Black George Bush.
We are trying to dig ourselves out of a deep economic recession. He went into office claiming that he was going to make drug charges less severe, and get drug offenders out of our jails. When it comes time to talk about MARIJUANA, the most outrageously enforced drug in America, he laughs. The "war on drugs" has caused this country enough problems, and has cost the country enough money and lives. It's time to progress; legalization would lead to lower prices and government taxation. We could divert more government funding toward better schools in urban areas. We could successfully take care of a chunk of our nation's climbing debt. Barack, good luck implementing universal healthcare. I'd like to see you try.
I'll leave you with this:
The United States Constitution, Amendment 8:
Cruel and Unusual Punishment (Ratified 12/15/1791)
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
(George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin. Did you think of the $1, $2, and $100 bills? You shouldn't have. You should have pieced together that they were all marijuana smokers, silly. But it's okay, I forgive you.)
At 14 billion a year, marijuana is the #1 cash crop of California. You would think the powers that be would want a piece of that pie. Maybe they should smoke a joint and meditate.
THINK NEW...THINK NOW...LEGALIZE IT BOB!!!
There are MANY of us out here who have been waiting for and expecting legalization of Marijuana since the early seventies. J. Edgar Hoover and Hollywood set the country's overall mindset in the 1940's and 50's by declaring marijuana to be evil and deadly, worse than heroin or cocaine. Hollywood was forced into it when J. Edgar helped with the making of "Reefer Madness", a now infamous cult classic for potheads like me. It is the furtherest thing from the truth about pot. Pot id the tree of knowledge of good and evil that got Adam and Eve kicked out of eden when they consumed it. It has many healing qualities. But whether they legalize it or not, I have been smoking it since 1970, and I will quit smoking it the day I die. No one has ever been or will ever be able to make me stop. If you know nothing about it or its effects, then you have no right to judge it or the people who use it. If you look around, you will find out that a whole lot of people are using it daily now.
I agree. Decriminalize or legalize
I think the only way we are going to solve the marijuana crisis, is to have a joint session with congress.
That's believe what you read. Don't challenge. A lie could be right in your face and you'd never know it.
To compare Mary Jane to a cigarette is like saying an apple it the same as an orange. You smoke both but each has their own set of problems.
Man made Booze, God made weed, WHO DO YOU TRUST!!!!
Man made booze,God made weed. WHO DO YOU TRUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Legalize it, tax it, and pay down the national deficient. Image getting tax free Pot at the Navy Exchange!
I don't like to drink, but I do it because that is what is legal! I love cannabis, it makes me happy, and i will never stop either. America wants its pot, let us have it, stop this madness, stop hurting Americans for doing something that has very little harm to the users or the people around them. The worst effect of marijuana is the fact that it's illegal!
Personal Use and Cultivation Permit
12 plants
$100 per year
Split between the Fed and the participating States
weed should be legalized plain and simple
maybe with some hope america will be the home of the free again free the weed make our economy strong again God bless Oboma
imagine that, not one negative comment to this article......just further proof that the american people have no say.... i mean, this is clearly a one sided argument, if it was so controversial wouldnt this comment section be about 50/50 yay and nay? we get screwed as usual
it is an outrage that marijuana is against the law and alcohol and tobacco are legal. tobacco and alcohol are much worse than weed. legalize it and tax it and sit back and have a few nice tokes ;)
I can only say ,this is no longer a free county.
Jobs are being destroyed, homes lost and survival for working people and elderly are in
serious jeopardy. Only for the government to grab every dollar and use as they please.Was marijuana not a natural resource? Now we can't smoke tobacco. They only thing that poor people could enjoy. I think that FL will be taxing potty rights next.
I'd like to see marijuana removed as a funding source for criminal organizations. I think leaving cannabis in their domain is far more harmful than anything a few irresposnible people will do with legal pot (especially since it's already pretty easily available to the afore mentioned irresponsible people). My political views on many things tend toward supporting personal freedoms. I think banning objects that do no harm until people use them in some way, such as cannabis and guns is much less productive the prosecuting or helping people who won't or can't be responsible (respectively of course). I'd also love to see cops freed up to handle issues that much more directly effect my safety.
On a health note - vaporizors remove much of the health risk associated with the carcinogens in marijuana.
I ask everyone to consider joining NORML or any of the other activism groups and please politely educate your neighbors. Many people have no reference but the established propaganda.
reg b rad:ya and god also made shrooms you dumbass
The Problem is this, Obama and the rest of the government in this corrupt nation will not legalize it because they are allready profiting from it. The CIA is allready known for its hand in cocain, heroin, and other heavy drugs. It was our government that first begun to distribute these drugs here to begin with. They already have a large slice of the pie, why would they want to let us get some it? If weed became legal, we could grow our own, buy it from the liquor store on the corner or wherever and the taxes would help our education system and the incredible debt we are in, but, they are already lineing their pockets. Now with it being legal they would have to give some of that back to the state. Do you really think they are going to give us money out of their own wallets? No they wont. But could you imagine if they did? This could really be called the land of the free (and happy-cough-cough).
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