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LEGALIZE IT!
By
David W. Mancini (8-06-01)
Isn’t
it agreeable that it is our God given right to do as we please with our
own belongings, especially our own bodies?
Do we not all share this perspective?
The question still stands for many people going about their
business, that you or I would not ever have imagined, thinking, why is it
that marijuana is not legal for all people?
It was made illegal in 1937 due to its “unsafe nature”. Scientific studies have proven marijuana to be harmless, and
to be of great use for natural medical alternatives. Since marijuana is safe, natural, could help the economy, and
has medical benefits, it should be legalized completely.
Marijuana
was made illegal in 1937, in accordance with the Harrison Narcotics Act of
1914, along with much more dangerous drugs.
Back then, marijuana was not very popular at all.
Therefore, no one questioned the reasoning.
It was not until the 1960's that marijuana became popular in
America. The ascendancy of
the hippie revolution quickly made marijuana the most popular drug used
among young people. It was
generally agreed among the people using it that marijuana was safe and
produced no harmful effects, even when used heavily. Scientists have indeed found that marijuana can be used for
many safe, efficient medical purposes.
The
only problem with the completely natural drug was that it was illegal.
Marijuana
is classified as a “Schedule 1" drug, along with other much more
dangerous drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
This classification is highly opposed by users and by a large
percent of physicians. “Not
a single death has been linked to marijuana’s medical use” (Cohen). It is ironic to me that many other synthetic drugs, that have
serious side effects, are legal, while marijuana, which is 100% natural
and has very rare and minor side effects, is illegal.
Since
marijuana is illegal, the benefits of the plant fiber, called hemp or
Cannabis sativa, are being lost in America, depriving farmers of a good
alternative crop. Hemp is
fast-growing, and its strong and durable fiber can be used for almost
anything, including clothes and fuel.
Using hemp in America could greatly help the economy.
In fact, the government encouraged the growing of hemp during World
War II, and Kentucky was a major hemp producer.
Hemp
was cultivated in China as early as 2800 BC, and today the production of
hemp fibers is a major industry in many countries such as India, China,
and Poland. These countries
have all been using Cannabis Sativa for thousands of years.
Other uses of hemp include canvas, twine, cable yard, oil, soaps,
paints, varnishes, and bird feed.
Marijuana
provides a variety of medical benefits, especially in providing relief to
cancer patients, AIDS patients, and glaucoma patients. The only problem that people have run into is the fact that
marijuana is illegal. Many
large organizations have recently supported the research of marijuana as
medicine, such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Public
Health Association, and many other state nursing and medical groups.
In 1991, a Harvard Medical School survey of over 1000 oncologists
found that “54% favored making marijuana a prescription drug, and 44%
said they had broken the law by suggesting their patients get it
illegally” (Cohen). In my
opinion, this information clearly states that marijuana is safe and
useful, especially when doctors are so convinced that they unlawfully
suggest the drug to their patients. As
of now, marijuana is still illegal, though medical evidence is changing
the minds of even some of the most conservative politicians.
Other medical uses for marijuana include treatment for nausea of
ruptured blood vessels in the brain, for multiple sclerosis, for
muscle pains and spasms, urinary incontinence, tremors, epilepsy,
seizures, migraine headaches, arthritis, menstrual cramps and much more.
However,
skeptics of marijuana claim that it is an unsafe, gateway drug.
Opposers of marijuana say that it will ultimately lead users to
more harmful, addictive drugs. However,
there is no factual evidence, in any scientific way, that connects
marijuana with other drugs. People
who use hard drugs choose to do so. Most
marijuana users do not use harder drugs and are against them.
From my own experience and from what I have seen of others,
marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol, are plenty, and eventually everyone
gets sick of them and abandons their usage as time goes on.
Marijuana
has been around and been safely used to treat illness much longer than any
other drug on the market today. Its
many benefits are being lost to us because it is illegal. Marijuana is safer than most prescription drugs, and people
should be free to grow it and to use it as they think best.
Editor’s
note: While we agree that
adults should be free to take any drugs they choose, we also hope that
they will spend their time and energy engaging life and its challenges
rather than using drugs to try to escape life and its challenges.
We also hope that people will be careful about what they put into
their bodies in order to protect their health.
See
also: * "The Economist" Magazine Makes Case for
Legalization *
The latest (7/28) issue of The Economist magazine is dedicated to making
the case for ending the War on Drugs. The editors even editorialize in
support of drug legalization. The multi-article report covers the
history of drug prohibition, its benefits and costs, the harms associated
with drug abuse, and alternatives to current policies.
The issue is on the stands now, but can be read on-line: http://www.economist.com/surveys/displ
aystory.cfm?story_id=706591
The editorial, entitled "Time for a Puff of Sanity", can be
read-on-line:
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displ
ayStory.cfm?Story_ID=709603
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