Put this in Your Pipe and Smoke It


Articles Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine Other Authors Contact Us! Letter to the Editor Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine	Put this in Your Pipe and Smoke It Jesus Jones Lately, with the November 5th election come and gone, there's been a lot of hype around the legalization of marijuana. Not too long ago, federal agents went down to Santa Cruz and busted the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana for handing out pot for medical use, riling people up just in time to vote. Some say pot's addictive, some say it's not (according to Time magazine, most recent studies say it is, although only 9% of the population becomes dependent); some say it's beneficial to the sick, others disagree (apparently it does help many medical conditions, although not necessarily better than other drugs). Many believe those supporting marijuana for medical reasons are using it as a stepping stone to get it totally legalized, which may be true. But all these things are basically irrelevant when you get right down to it. Be it good or be it evil, there is only one logical solution to the marijuana quandary: Complete legalization. And here's why: Marijuana exists and will continue to exist. No one can deny it. As long as it does, people will use it for both medical and recreational purposes, illegal or not. Everyone on campus can attest to that, and I can't name one person who couldn't gain access to marijuana extremely easily if they really wanted to (especially since more of us than we'd like to admit have parents who use the stuff). Making something illegal deters few and attracts many. "Look at me, I'm enjoying myself and breaking the law! I'm a rebel!" Students are going to rebel; marijuana's illegality merely makes it an attractive way of doing so. The sale of marijuana is also very profitable, as is the sale of all drugs, since the dealers aren't regulated by anybody. If legal, this would change. If the government took control of selling marijuana and anyone over 18 could buy it at their local drug store, the dealers on the street corners would go out of business. Why buy something of questionable quality at an inflated price when you can do better for less at Rite Aid? Furthermore, the government could tax it as it does cigarettes and other "luxury" or "sinful" items. Instead of spending billions fighting it, the feds can make billions selling it. Also, when it's legally on the shelves, all the effects can be written on the box, so everyone has the chance to know what they're getting into. The effects would have to be more thoroughly researched, but that's already being worked on. Upon knowing the effects of marijuana, people can decide for themselves whether of not it is for them. Society is always going to have it's addicts, drunkards, abusers, and the like. If someone is determined to smoke pot or drink all the time, he or she simply will, regardless of its illegality. At least if marijuana is legal the government can control the content of the joints. They could make sure they're not laced with anything and are of the right potency, as well as create a market for products to help people get weaned off pot, since, due to long-term effects, some people will want to stop smoking after a while (just like cigarettes). If looking around and seeing how ineffective the prohibition of marijuana is doesn't prove enough, simply look at Prohibition in the 1920s. This became the era of glamorized criminal activates. Few people stopped drinking; they just got bootlegged beverages, much of which ended up killing and blinding the consumers because there was no regulation of the amount of alcohol per drink. And, even though smoking pot does put healthy people at risk, to date there is no record of any overdoses as a result of marijuana consumption. In the end, it's simple: legalizing marijuana and making it available to the everyday consumer is the most practical choice. Selling it cheap will destroy the dealers who plague our streets. Regulating its quality will ensure its relative "safety." Printing its effects on the boxes will heighten awareness of its consequences, and putting normal restrictions on it (no smoking and driving, no smoking in public places, etc.) will keep the public out of harm's way. If marijuana is legalized, no harm is done, and scores of people benefit. In the privacy of their own homes, people will and should do as they please as long as they aren't hurting anyone else. People are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it is an insult to see the government try to protect the public from themselves. The current system which bans marijuana simply doesn't work, and the solution is obviously legalization. Email: JesusJonesTN@yahoo.com	Archive Back Issues Why? Cartoons Poetry Random Rants Disclaimers Losers and Kudos of the Week Letters to the Editor Editor's Notes Picture of the Week
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Jesus Jones

Lately, with the November 5th election come and gone, there's been a lot of hype around the legalization of marijuana. Not too long ago, federal agents went down to Santa Cruz and busted the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana for handing out pot for medical use, riling people up just in time to vote. Some say pot's addictive, some say it's not (according to Time magazine, most recent studies say it is, although only 9% of the population becomes dependent); some say it's beneficial to the sick, others disagree (apparently it does help many medical conditions, although not necessarily better than other drugs). Many believe those supporting marijuana for medical reasons are using it as a stepping stone to get it totally legalized, which may be true. But all these things are basically irrelevant when you get right down to it. Be it good or be it evil, there is only one logical solution to the marijuana quandary: Complete legalization. And here's why:

Marijuana exists and will continue to exist. No one can deny it. As long as it does, people will use it for both medical and recreational purposes, illegal or not. Everyone on campus can attest to that, and I can't name one person who couldn't gain access to marijuana extremely easily if they really wanted to (especially since more of us than we'd like to admit have parents who use the stuff). Making something illegal deters few and attracts many. "Look at me, I'm enjoying myself and breaking the law! I'm a rebel!" Students are going to rebel; marijuana's illegality merely makes it an attractive way of doing so.

The sale of marijuana is also very profitable, as is the sale of all drugs, since the dealers aren't regulated by anybody. If legal, this would change. If the government took control of selling marijuana and anyone over 18 could buy it at their local drug store, the dealers on the street corners would go out of business. Why buy something of questionable quality at an inflated price when you can do better for less at Rite Aid? Furthermore, the government could tax it as it does cigarettes and other "luxury" or "sinful" items. Instead of spending billions fighting it, the feds can make billions selling it.

Also, when it's legally on the shelves, all the effects can be written on the box, so everyone has the chance to know what they're getting into. The effects would have to be more thoroughly researched, but that's already being worked on. Upon knowing the effects of marijuana, people can decide for themselves whether of not it is for them.

Society is always going to have it's addicts, drunkards, abusers, and the like. If someone is determined to smoke pot or drink all the time, he or she simply will, regardless of its illegality. At least if marijuana is legal the government can control the content of the joints. They could make sure they're not laced with anything and are of the right potency, as well as create a market for products to help people get weaned off pot, since, due to long-term effects, some people will want to stop smoking after a while (just like cigarettes).

If looking around and seeing how ineffective the prohibition of marijuana is doesn't prove enough, simply look at Prohibition in the 1920s. This became the era of glamorized criminal activates. Few people stopped drinking; they just got bootlegged beverages, much of which ended up killing and blinding the consumers because there was no regulation of the amount of alcohol per drink. And, even though smoking pot does put healthy people at risk, to date there is no record of any overdoses as a result of marijuana consumption.

In the end, it's simple: legalizing marijuana and making it available to the everyday consumer is the most practical choice. Selling it cheap will destroy the dealers who plague our streets. Regulating its quality will ensure its relative "safety." Printing its effects on the boxes will heighten awareness of its consequences, and putting normal restrictions on it (no smoking and driving, no smoking in public places, etc.) will keep the public out of harm's way. If marijuana is legalized, no harm is done, and scores of people benefit.

In the privacy of their own homes, people will and should do as they please as long as they aren't hurting anyone else. People are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it is an insult to see the government try to protect the public from themselves. The current system which bans marijuana simply doesn't work, and the solution is obviously legalization.

Email: JesusJonesTN@yahoo.com