Marijuana: prohibition or legalization?

July 11, 12:53 PMPortland Progressive ExaminerMichael Stone

Previous Next

25 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Portland Progressive Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The marijuana issue will not go away, and society must decide to continue the status quo of marijuana prohibition or plot a new course towards legalization. Given that prohibition is nothing short of total and abject failure, it only makes sense that the alternative, the legalization of marijuana, be given a fair hearing.

This week a pro-marijuana group launched a television advertisement in California advocating legalization and taxation of marijuana to help solve the state's budget woes. The 30-second spot, paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project, features a retired 58-year-old state worker who says state leaders "are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes." The add makes clear that the move for legalization is neither a fad nor a fantasy of the far left fringe.  

While in New Hampshire, Gov. John Lynch vetoed legislation that would legalize marijuana use by severely ill people, citing concerns over distribution and cultivation. Yet the legislature is already making plans to launch an effort to overturn the veto. Clearly, the move for marijuana legal reform is widespread and gaining momentum.

There are good reasons for such reform, reasons aside from the need to give the medicinal and recreational user legal relief. Demand for marijuana is a key factor in the Mexican drug war. The violence that we see in Mexico is fueled by the trade in marijuana. As Americans, we must take responsibility for enabling this war our neighbor must endure, while we resist the inevitable, like an ostrich with head stuck in the sand.

Some facts:

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.

Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose.

Marijuana is a cash crop greater than wheat and corn combined.

Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 872,000 individuals per year -- far more than the total number of those arrested for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

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. The war on drugs is a war on Americans. Let us end the assault on our friends and neighbors.