A subject with which it is relatively easy to stir up a rousing debate about is the issue of the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana. Right now marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes in 11 states, including California. The only caveat is that the federal government does not recognize these state laws and will bust a medicinal user anyway. This results in considerable disputes between drug advocacy groups and federal agencies on what exactly the legal status of marijuana is, and what it should be.
Everyone can agree that smoking pot has some adverse physical and psychological effects, but that doesn’t mean that making the substance illegal is the proper course of action. Prohibition of marijuana does marginally reduce marijuana use by creating a deterrent, but it does so at a tremendous cost.
First of all, it drives the entire market for marijuana underground and creates a black market for the drug, resulting in less oversight. Conventional businesses are liable for damages if they misrepresent a product they are selling, and numerous federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration exist to make sure that certain quality standards for similar products are met. This is not true for drug dealers who are only held accountable for their actions if they happen to be caught. People who get sick from improperly prepared cannabis are left to fend for themselves, and are more likely to avoid medical treatment due to the nature of their ailment.
Another cost of prohibition is felt in the correctional system, which is flooded with those imprisoned for drug-related offenses every year. Law enforcement, incarceration and the judicial process all come at a considerable cost, a cost which is borne by the citizens of the United States.
Yet another cost is felt by the victims of violent drug-related crimes, which are motivated by the rampant profiteering that the drug trade creates. It would be much safer for everyone if the drug dealers, who are the ones who are really causing most of the trouble, were cut out of the entire operation by suppliers who would face the same scrutiny and oversight as the tobacco industry. Such a change, I might add, would take an underground, untraceable industry and make it taxable. It just seems strange to me that our society makes such a tremendous sacrifice just to keep cannabis out of the hands of only a few additional people.
Editor’s Note: “The Elephant’s Peanut Gallery” and “Straight from the Ass’s Mouth” run biweekly and are opinion columns granted by the Editorial Board to the College Republicans and the College Democrats.
