Just legalize it already!

By Justin Prue

PLATTSBURGH – Behind alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is the third most used recreational drug in America. According to government conducted surveys, 25 million Americans on average have smoked marijuana in the past year. Of those 25 million people, 14 million disregard the laws against its use and smoke on a regular basis.

The question remains; why is marijuana still illegal?
Prohibitions against the use of marijuana first arose in District of Columbia in 1906. By the mid 1930s, The Uniform State Narcotic Act issued marijuana regulating laws in every state. It was believed that marijuana causes people to commit violent crimes, act overly sexual, and act irrationally.

At present day, a nonprofit public interest advocacy group called NORML leads the fight to reform state and federal marijuana laws. “Since 1970, NORML (and later, the NORML Foundation) assists the victims of cannabis prohibition as well as representing the interests and concerns of the tens of millions of Americans who responsibly consume cannabis,” said NORML intern Lee. “NORML favors sick, dying or sense-threatened medical patients who possess a physician recommendation to use cannabis.”

In 1972, President Richard Nixon formed the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse to review marijuana use and public policy. Their verdict, “Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,” one of the most through reviews to date, reported that, “from what is now known about the effects of marihuana, its use at the present level does not constitute a major threat to public health.” The commission recommended that the use and casual distribution of marijuana for personal use should be decriminalized.

Since then, 14 states, Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, have legalized marijuana for medical use. In many other states, such as New York and Massachusetts, voters passed a standard initiative for marijuana users to no longer face jail time for the possession or use of small amounts of marijuana. “Since NORML began the medical cannabis debate in 1972 when it launched NORML versus DEA to reschedule cannabis, the progress to reform the laws has been slow, but steady,” said Lee.

Modern research suggests that cannabis is an effective aid in the treatment of pain relief, glaucoma, movement disorders, spasticity, nausea, AIDS, and dementia. A recent neuroscience study conducted at the Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research discovered that there may be a link between marijuana’s medical properties and the protection from some types of malignant tumors.

According to Phillip Bean, a communication disorders and sciences major at SUNY Plattsburgh, smoking marijuana has not affected any of his friendships, grades, or job performances. “I first tried marijuana my junior year in high school, “said Bean. “It’s a personal choice of mine and has become a part of my life. You just have to use proper judgment and smoke responsibly.”

How have the 14 states reacted to the legalization of marijuana for medical use?

“In most of the 14 states with medical cannabis patient protection laws, there have been relatively few legal/social changes. However, in states like California and Colorado, where medical cannabis is sold at retail level, numerous arrests and court cases are ongoing,” said NORML. This is a conflict between state officials and the federal government; the states say yes to the use of marijuana, but the federal government says no.

Times have changed since the early 1900s. According to NORML’s website, on average each state has a 2:1 ration in favor of legalizing responsible use of marijuana. It has been over 60 years since marijuana became illegal; just legalize it already!