COLUMN: Should the US legalize marijuana use?
FROM THE LEFT
Mike McPhie
For the first time in history, a significant majority of the American public is expressing support for the legalization of marijuana. Recent polls show 52-56 percent support and the implementation has already begun with legislation in states like Washington and Colorado. With rapidly-growing support, legalization seems inevitable and there are strong arguments which back the public sentiment.
First, consider the current policy in the U.S. Every year, the government spends more than $12 billion in drug enforcement. Add the amount it takes to prosecute and incarcerate offenders. The number of marijuana arrests far exceeds the number of violent crimes and more than half of the overcrowded prison system is filled with drug offenders. More than 40,000 inmates are serving time for pot possession, costing more than $1 billion annually.
While so much time and money goes into prohibition, it is estimated around 50 percent of Americans under the age of 50 have smoked marijuana and more than 15 million citizens admit to regular use. It is clear that the enforcement is essentially ineffective to the point that use of the drug could be better regulated if it were legalized.
On the other hand, there are extensive benefits to decriminalization. Instead of spending billions of dollars hunting down minor criminals who pose little danger to society, legal marijuana would allow federal and state governments to safely regulate and tax the substance, generating millions of dollars in revenue. Like alcohol and tobacco, laws should be passed to enforce responsible usage, while allowing individuals to make their own decisions about the substance. In fact, apart from the legal status, little is likely to change. A study published in the Journal of Public Health states that “the evidence indicates that the decriminalization of marijuana had little or no impact on rates of use.”
From a medical perspective, it is puzzling why marijuana is illegal in the first place. Unlike the health risks of tobacco and the incapacitating effects of excessive alcohol, marijuana is relatively safe. While countless prescription drugs are advertised with side-effects ranging from heart failure to suicide, the impact of marijuana has been labeled “moderately safe” with only minor and very few long-term effects, not to mention the actual medical benefits. The American Medical Association has noted the successful use of marijuana in treating glaucoma, asthma, anxiety and in chemotherapy treatment.
The public support for legalization shouldn’t, as some have suggested, be seen as a decline in morals, but a rise in responsibility. It is not the role of government to dictate the lifestyle of citizens with criminal consequences for those who don’t cooperate. So long as individuals aren’t endangering others, it is their prerogative to live their own lives.
The prohibition of marijuana has been an expensive failure. Drugs are still being taken as readily as ever and money has been wasted. Is legalization an endorsement for everyone to smoke pot? No, but it puts the decision in the hands of those responsible for their own health and lifestyle.
– Mike McPhie is a senior from Toole, Utah, majoring in law and constitutional studies. During the spring semester, he interned in Washington, D.C. Send him comments at mike.mcphie@aggiemail.usu.edu.
FROM THE RIGHT
Casey Saxton
Like so many social issues taking the forefront in American politics today, marijuana certainly has a seat at that table. We just saw the legalization of pot in Colorado and Washington during the last election cycle and a Pew Research Center poll released a few days ago shows 52 percent of Americans favor its legalization. I question the poll’s accuracy, but I certainly don’t question the fact that public opinion about marijuana has become increasingly liberal over the last decade.
Personally, I don’t support the legalization of marijuana. Not only do studies show marijuana use has negative health and behavioral side effects, I think it’s also really gross – just look what it does to people’s teeth. I absolutely subscribe to the idea that marijuana is a gateway drug. In fact, a recent survey by Yale University School of Medicine provides some evidence to support this idea.
Federal law currently prohibits marijuana to be bought, sold, possessed or used, and the states that have recently legalized the sale and use of pot are in direct contradiction to the federal law. Obviously that federal law isn’t being strictly enforced at the moment, a move that may bring some problems to the states in the future that have legalized marijuana use.
The pro-pot crowd, including some Democrats and most Libertarians, can get quite passionate about pot smoking and have several compelling arguments to support their case. Regardless of the pros or cons of marijuana legalization, perhaps the most compelling is the potential social cost marijuana use could have on our country.
Should marijuana ever be legalized in our country, it will bring with it huge social costs. More people will use the drug, which means more people will be affected by its negative health and behavioral side effects. Medical costs would rise significantly due to the decriminalization of pot; our healthcare system is strained and even broken as it is. Just look at the social cost tobacco has on society today; do we really want to increase the immense healthcare and social burden taxpayers already bear by decriminalizing marijuana? I don’t think so.
Marijuana advocates often assume if pot were to be legalized, everyone would act as “responsible” users and overall use of the drug would drop. Dream on if that’s your best argument. Decriminalization of pot will increase use of the drug, and by extension, abuse of the drug.
– Casey Saxton, a junior majoring in business administration, is the president of the USU College Republicans. He can be reached at caseysaxton@hotmail.com.