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 TCW's Kimberly Reiss argues for the legalization of marijuana in anticipation of April 20th.
Being that it is April 18th, I have found it necessary to recognize a favorite college holiday. April 20th or 4/20, as it is most commonly called, is a day dedicated to getting pot and getting high. It is a day when students usually sit in a haze of smoke in their apartments; surrounded by the remnants of their special brownies, with Bob Marley serenading them in the background. And so this upcoming celebration got me thinking about marijuana in general and the fact that maybe it shouldn’t be illegal.
Marijuana, or pot, or weed, whatever your preference in
names, is probably considered the most mild of all drugs. It is something that over the course of a
lifetime almost everyone tries once.
Many though, consider it a gateway drug; something that leads users to
bigger and more dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin, when in reality, pot
itself is pretty harmless.
To me there are certain flaws with making marijuana illegal
at all. First off, it may be illegal for
general use, but medical marijuana is used to ease the suffering of cancer
patients, as well as glaucoma. A doctor
needs to write a prescription for you, but after that you are free to smoke
without fear of getting in trouble with the law. And to this I ask, how can it be illegal for
some and not for others?
The whole purpose of making drugs illegal is to protect the
public from the harm that they do. But
if marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, how much harm can it really
cause?
I have never been that into any kind of drugs, including
pot. I may partake occasionally if it is
in front of me, but I do not seek it out to buy on a daily basis. But even with my nonchalant attitude, I don’t
really think it needs to be banned.
Alcohol, in my opinion, causes much more harm than pot. I’m pretty sure you can’t get marijuana
poisoning as easily as it is to get alcohol poisoning, and yet alcohol is
completely legal as long as you are of age.
Or take cigarettes.
Cigarettes have more harmful chemicals and hurt a person’s body more
than marijuana does, and yet the government has yet to ban them either.
Despite its legality or not, students, especially college
students, partake in the magic that is pot.
The very identifiable smells permeate dorms rooms and apartments, and
the inconspicuous bongs and pieces are stashed under beds and in closets when
not in use. Students sell, buy, and use
the drug all the time, and a day like 4/20 is the culmination of this cultural
ritual.
The government will probably never make pot or any other
kind of drug legal. While there are many
who petition for its legality all the time, it is unlikely that it will ever
happen. So for now anyone that wants to
engage in any legal pot use must take a trip across the pond to that wonderful
land called Amsterdam. Personally, I
think the law-makers and uptight judiciaries need to take a hit or two-- it
might loosen them up a little bit.
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