here is a Marijuana Legalization Put in Perspective.....
Police arrested an estimated 755,187 persons for marijuana violations in 2003, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report. The total is the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised 45 percent of all drug arrests in the United States. Needless to say, this is a significant number. In all, this is costing billions of dollars and thousands of police hours. With all this time and money, our police force could be used to track down murderers, rapists, property thieves, or other crimes that actually involve a victim. Instead, we arrested over 750,000 marijuana smokers, over 85% of which were just for possession alone, no other charge attached. The argument can't be made that our cops are not arresting marijuana smokers, because they are. In the meantime our prisons are overcrowded, our courts are overflowing, and a significant amount of money and time is being spent on a pointless crusade. I say pointless because in every case so far where a state has decriminalized marijuana (there are 12 states that have made it a fine only offense instead of jail time for small amounts), there has not be any significant increase in use or related attitudes among young people. The fact of the matter is, marijuana use is not so much related to the law, but more to cultural/demographic factors that have little to do with the law itself.
Second point I want to touch on is marijuana does not fall into the category of harm that deserves prohibition. That is, the harm that prohibition of marijuana causes is more so than the drug itself causes. More specifically, Francis Young in 1988 ruled:
"15. In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.
16. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care."
Legalizing marijuana would have its benefits. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) issued the results of a survey conducted to get the latest information on teen drug use. The survey, conducted by QEV Analytics, reported that, for the first time ever, a higher percentage of teens find marijuana easier to buy than cigarettes and alcohol. Also reported was that 86 percent of teens who smoke pot start at or before the age of 15, with the average age being 13 1/2. The argument can be made that carding children for marijuana would actually reduce availability for our children coupled with a strong, more honest education campaign. Joe down the street doesn't care what age a child is, heck some would even sell to 10 year old children assuming they get their money. A licensed establishment would care more since they could lose their license to sell if they sold to a child.
It is also important to recognize that some people will say, “The law is the law and that’s that!” Allow me to retort. Saying the law is the law because it is the law is circular logic. You are running in circles and will get no where. Not all laws have been correct. I point to slavery, women not being able to vote, and segregation here in America. I would hardly think that you “people of the law” that don’t think it should be debated would say that in Nazi Germany the law to turn in the handicap and Jews were somehow ethical. The law is the law? Think for yourselves, it is always worth debating to see the pros and cons. As Thomas Jefferson put it “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Aside from freeing up police time, making space for more violent criminals, and freeing up the courts, the revenue generated from marijuana legalization could be directed to treatment and educational efforts.
So why not legalize? I do not encourage or condone marijuana use, but I do think this law needs a closer look. Staining thousands upon thousands of people with a criminal conviction over a relatively less harmful drug than even alcohol deserves to be discussed. Have we not learned our lesson from alcohol prohibition?
