Lit_Match

Eliminate the Stigma: Legalize Marijuana
09-29-07|Progressive U

"Surely our national experience with alcohol should make us wary of dampening speech suggesting—however inarticulately—that it would be better to tax and regulate marijuana than to persevere in a futile effort to ban its use entirely." - Justice John Paul Stevens

Who among you has spoken out in favor of legalization of marijuana? Not just among your pot-smokin' buds (Pun intended) but to your parents, clergy or teachers?

I'll bet that quite a few of you (I would) answered in the affirmative for the former, but negative for the latter. And I bet I know why. Despite research to the contrary, illegal drugs still have a stigma attached to them of being incredibly dangerous. People are afraid of speaking out in favor of legalization for fear of being labelled "stoners" or "druggies." If I spoke against seatbelt laws, but promised to wear mine as often as possible, would be branded irresponsible? I doubt it.

This stigma surrounding illegal drugs must be eliminated. Research, including a study in the medical journal The Lancet showing that Ecstasy, LSD and Marijuana, which are all illegal, are less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, both of which are legal.

The only forces keeping this arbitrary status in place for these drugs is tradition - alcohol and tobacco have been used for longer by "regular people" than LSD, Ecstasy or marijuana, all of gained in use, and were then banned in the past century. Marijuana was banned in a fit of racism, as it was associated with lazy Mexican immigrants, as well as side effects of "Murder! Insanity! Death!" LSD was banned in the 1970s when hippies and their "degenerative culture" was frowned upon.

Even if we, as a society, are not yet ready to fully legalize these drugs which, for a few generations, have been greatly frowned upon, we should consider the promotion of their legalization with a serious, scientific eye. After all, while I would risk expulsion from school for use of marijuana, let alone cocaine (which is far more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco), we are actively considering someone who admits to cocaine use for President (Barack Obama, whom I support as my second-choice candidate).

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)