newsmagazine

Many Reasons to Legalize Weed; Few to Keep It Illegal

By Brian A. Wilkins

SOURCES ARE AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE

In a recent article in Science Daily and on WebMD.com, researchers discovered that tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, was more effective than traditional Alzheimer’s medications at slowing the symptoms that cause the disease. Marijuana was found, in the 1970s, to reduce nausea in cancer and AIDS patients. This same plant is also used for reducing eye pressure in glaucoma patients, in controlling seizures in epilepsy patients, to control muscle spastic activity in multiple sclerosis patients, and to reduce the chronic pain associated with arthritis.

California voters, in 1996, passed Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act, to protect people who use marijuana for medical purposes. Since then, seven other states (Maine, Alaska, Nevada, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington) have passed similar laws protecting people who use “medical marijuana.”

The November Coalition, a non-profit organization that monitors increasing prison populations due to incarcerated drug users, compiled a list of 50 federal judges who have been highly critical of the United States’ handling of drug cases, with most noting the mandatory sentencing guidelines. Many of these judges share the sentiments of Richard Posner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in favoring the “immediate legalization of marijuana and other hallucinogens,” but not the legalization of all drugs.

Hemp, a term used when referring to the marijuana plant for non-medicinal or recreational purposes, can be used in making of textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, food additives, insulation, animal feed and other products. The European Union now subsidizes farmers who grow hemp, and the plant is recognized by the United Nations, NAFTA, and GAFT as a commercial crop.

Rather than change with the times, the United States continues to adhere to laws which were passed decades ago under false pretences. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act (as it was spelled back then) is the first such law, which criminalized the possession, cultivation and use of marijuana and many chemical substances without a tax stamp. In the late 1960s, Dr. Timothy Leary challenged the constitutionality of the law, claiming it required citizens to self-incriminate themselves to possess the plant, thus violating the Fifth Amendment. The Supreme Court, agreeing with Leary, declared the Tax Act unconstitutional in 1969, which cleared the way for the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This act, which has been amended several times since its enacting, is now the current legislation which outlaws marijuana and other controlled substances.

Bloggers, advocacy groups, and those aforementioned U.S. judges continue attacking the bill. Some claim the bill was drafted based wholly on unsupported claims of marijuana being a killer drug that causes dementia. There are others who claim the bill was drafted because of racism, in that most users of marijuana prior to 1930 were Mexicans and African-Americans. Members of the Rastafari movement claim the United States will not recognize their religious beliefs about the plant because of the Western world’s history of trivializing and mocking anything fundamentally African in nature.

Much of this dissension comes from the fact that the man who crusaded for the passage of the original 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, Harry Anslinger, was not only considered racist, but someone who wanted to elevate his political prominence and cement himself in history. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, rose to prominence during the Great Depression, when Mexican immigrants were taking jobs in Southern states for lower wages than the norml, which upset the already conservative population. With the help of yellow journalists, most notably William Randolph Hearst, Anslinger pushed his agenda to an accepting white America, tying marijuana and its usage to Mexicans who are stealing your jobs and African-Americans who will harm your children.

Though mostly anecdotal, statements Anslinger made during his time as commissioner did nothing more than discredit himself to future generations. One example was Anslinger being heard saying “reefer makes darkies think they are as good as white men” during a conference for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Another more widely known quote from Anslinger was "there are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

The United States has obviously come a long way since Anslinger and the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act, but the rate of incarceration and arrests for marijuana offenses continues to rise every year. In 2005, about 790,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related charges, and since 1995, the U.S. prison population has grown by nearly 45,000 inmates per year. About one-quarter of those incarcerated every year are for marijuana charges. So far this year, the U.S. government, federal and state, has spent more than $41 billion on drug-related law enforcement.

Americans are now more knowledgeable about the effects of long-term marijuana use, its short-term effects, and its medical benefits. It is asinine though, for organizations and individuals to say marijuana is completely harmless and has no negative effects on the body. The fact that several states have passed laws allowing citizens to use marijuana for medical purposes should tell the broader population and the federal government that times have changed and continue to change. Instead of building more prisons to incarcerate people who choose to smoke a popular plant, the government could use those funds to build better schools and pay teachers more. With better paid teachers and better facilities, there could also be a mandatory class on marijuana usage and its effects as part of the required curriculum for graduation. As U.S. public schools continue to fall behind those of Japan, China, and other countries, the legalization of marijuana can do nothing but help our current situation. Not only will it put money to better use, but will also generate more revenue for the federal government because they could then put a tax on it.

Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both grew hemp and Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper. If the “founding fathers” of the United States can cultivate and put hemp to good use, the United States today can do the same thing.