The Other War
While the world keeps its attention on the wars in the Middle
East, there is another war being fought against a different kind of
“enemy” here in the United States. It is a war that is perpetuated
by a long history of cultural myths and unfounded popular
prejudices, but nonetheless millions of Americans have been
arrested and prosecuted as accomplices of the enemy in this war.
That enemy is the marijuana plant.
Despite years of research and evidence to the contrary, many
Americans still believe – and our federal government still claims –
that the use of marijuana is a serious threat to our country’s
wellbeing, and even that (as U.S. Drug Czar John Walters recently
opined) marijuana is on an equal footing with cocaine and heroin in
terms of danger to the public. As a result of such widespread
beliefs, our government has continued to wage a costly fight
against the private and medical use of the cannabis sativa plant;
in college language, smoking pot.
President Jimmy Carter said: “Penalties against drug use should
not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug
itself.” I agree, but I think that this statement can be expanded
into: penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to a
nation than the use of the drug itself. Apparently, however, our
Justice Department doesn’t agree.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime
Report, released in October, police arrested approximately 697,082
people in 2002 for crimes relating to marijuana. This number
comprises about half of all drug arrests in the nation, and exceeds
by far the total number of arrests for all violent crimes combined:
murder, rape, robbery, assault, etc. Nearly all of those arrested
(88 percent) were not arrested for distribution, but for simple
possession of the drug, even for medical use. Included in these
arrests were those who distributed or used marijuana in accordance
with democratically-enacted state laws, such as have been passed in
Colorado and 11 other states.
These astounding numbers might be justifiable if marijuana was
truly the great threat it is perceived to be. However, decades of
research and popular opinion point to the opposite conclusion: that
it is not only dangerous, but could in fact be a potential goldmine
for medicinal purposes. Consider:
-Not a single person has ever died from smoking marijuana. This
can be compared to the hundreds of thousands that die each year
from legal drugs like tobacco, alcohol and even over the counter
drugs like aspirin.
– Most major medical journals have written that the health risks
associated with even long-term marijuana use are minimal. For
instance, the British medical journal, Lancet wrote that: “The
smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. …
It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat …
than alcohol or tobacco.” The American Public Health Association,
like many other organizations and several states, has called for
Congress “to move expeditiously to make cannabis available as a
legal medicine.”
– Marijuana has been linked in studies to relief of pain due to
a wide variety of afflictions, including AIDS, cancer and other
terminal diseases. This is why organizations as prestigious as the
American Medical Association have urged that more studies be done
on the subject, due to the potential medicinal uses of the
plant.
There are, of course, other issues besides the health risks and
benefits of marijuana. For example, readers might recall recent
commercial advertisements asserting a direct connection between
smoking marijuana and committing irresponsible or even violent
acts, the most graphic of which was a group of youths that hit a
girl on a bike because they were “high.” Despite the emotional tug
of these advertisements, they hardly amount to a logical
argument.
First, there are so many causes of irresponsible driving that to
focus on one that is relatively harmless is pointless and
rhetorically dishonest. To be consistent, the federal government
would have to sponsor ads condemning cell phone usage, alcohol
consumption, cigarette smoking, pain medication, fast food, car
stereos and probably cars. For good measure, why not assault rifles
and machine guns as well?
Second, this argument misrepresents the issue. Of course no one
advocates driving while significantly impaired by any substance,
marijuana or otherwise. Even those most in favor of legalizing
marijuana state clearly that ingesting marijuana is an issue of
personal responsibility and accountability, as is any decision to
partake in any potentially dangerous activity. “Although cannabis
is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many
prescription drugs with motorists, responsible cannabis consumers
never operate motor vehicles in an impaired condition.” (From the
Web site of the National Organization for Marijuana Law
Reform.)
Most of the civilized world has recognized that the benefits of
marijuana usage (medical, personal and otherwise) far outweigh the
risks. Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Canada, Sweden,
Norway and other European nations have reduced marijuana possession
to the level of jaywalking, and, in some cases, eliminated
penalties for its usage altogether. Americans have also become
aware of the drug’s benefits. According to a Pew Research Center
Poll in 2001, for example, approximately 73 percent of Americans
favor legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.
While popular sentiment does not necessarily make something
right, the point is that a consistently democratic government would
recognize the currents of reason and legal change. Any objective
comparison between the benefits and risks of marijuana finds the
evidence on the side of the benefits, as much of the world has
realized. Not only are there not any compelling reasons to outlaw
the drug, there are in fact positive arguments for its use –
medical and otherwise.
As there are more issues than I have had space to bring up on
the subject, however, I would encourage those interested in the
subject to look for themselves into this important and contentious
issue. I think that most will find that our government is fighting
a costly and ultimately futile battle against what could
potentially be a great benefit for our collective community.
Brent is a freshman at CSU studying philosophy. His column runs
every other Tuesday.
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