MAKE DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA A REALITY

It was Saturday afternoon in downtown Salt Lake City, and the fresh air was
a nice surprise in a place that is usually congested with exhaust fumes.
The warm temperature invited us to walk through the streets.

Salt Lake turned into a real city for the day. Percussionists played their
drums on the street corner, and people gathered together for once, taking
time away from the busy day to relax.

Another band played a few blocks down, encouraging the audience to
participate in their ensemble.

Vendors lined the street along at least two blocks, tempting passers by
with food, unique crafts and art.

What brought this all together was the First Annual Salt Lake City Music
Festival. Although closed streets inconvenienced a few motorists, many
enjoyed a calming afternoon strolling the blocks.

Walking from vendor to vendor, we found one booth that stood out from the
rest. A tapestry-sized tie dye cloth covered the back of their
establishment; on the cloth was a giant green marijuana leaf.

The front of the booth showcased shirts of a similar fashion, and inside
lay an array of products manufactured from hemp. These vendors weren't just
trying to capitalize on potheads who choose to advertise their affection
for marijuana through a clever T-shirt - these guys had an agenda.

They provided information about the repression of marijuana in medicinal
uses and about a statewide petition for the Therapeutic Humane Cannabis
initiative in Utah which proposes the legalization of protected medicinal
use of cannibinoids - medicines produced from marijuana.

The people in the booth demonstrated their intelligence through
conversations concerning the possible uses and advantages of other hemp
products.

They told me some familiar facts and some new ones.

For example, one acre of hemp, they told me, can produce the same amount of
paper as four acres of trees.

Cotton is grown and protected with the aid of harmful pesticides. Pesticide
residue on many cotton products not only can be absorbed by the skin, but
can also cause some allergic reactions to cotton.

In contrast, hemp requires no pesticides for cultivation and can be
processed to a soft linen-like texture.

I left the booth informed and thinking to myself, as I have before, "Why is
hemp illegal?"

The reason behind the hemp ban in the United States is beyond me. By
legalizing marijuana, a multitude of problems could be solved in the U.S.

Medicinally, marijuana functions on many levels.

Marijuana is a painkiller - it could potentially aid in the relief of
arthritis and migraine headaches.

Glaucoma sufferers could benefit from medicinal marijuana as it might give
them temporary relief from the eye disease.

Upon consumption of marijuana, the body enters a state of induced hunger,
usually referred to by pot smokers as "the munchies." A bad case of the
munchies could produce the hunger necessary for a body to consume needed
nutrients, which would help Chemotherapy patients being treated for cancer.
Often, chemotherapy patients cannot hold down food as a result of the
treatment.

Research institutions like the Huntsman Cancer Institute should seriously
consider looking into the medicinal uses of marijuana to aid the already
established treatments for cancer.

The Huntsman Institute, with so much prestige and respect, could pull a lot
of weight in getting marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes.

Doesn't it make sense to give those who are afflicted with diseases like
cancer as much relief as possible if we have the means to do so? Or should
we just keep riding the same horse in circles, dangling a carrot in front
of its mouth?

Obviously, pot can help people tormented by cancer, arthritis glaucoma and
migraine headaches.

Prescription drugs exist with higher potentials for user addiction than
marijuana has.

The worst side effects might result in lowered sperm counts in men after
prolonged use, a case of the munchies, much needed relaxation and maybe a nap.

When I feel ill, I do as much as I can to feel healthy again; it is my
nature as a human being. If marijuana can help people feel healthy and gain
nutrients, why not legalize it?

In fact, marijuana is a good source of fatty acids and protein.

Some label marijuana as a "gateway" drug. The term refers to drugs blamed
for getting users to try other drugs. Some say it opens up the "gate" to
more powerful, high-risk drugs such as mushrooms, heroin and cocaine.

This fear, from a medicinal or prescription-based standpoint holds no
weight. Marijuana induces different effects than more dangerous drugs.

Cocaine and heroine may be good painkillers, but the likelihood of a person
being able to conduct a day's work under their influence is nearly
impossible. And that's not to mention the severe harm those drugs cause the
human body.

Besides, derivatives of cocaine and opium exist in certain prescription
drugs, so it's not like prescription marijuana is going to drive patients
into use of cocaine and opium in their illegal forms. If patients need
stronger painkillers, they can just ask their doctors.

What is the fear that drives marijuana into the red tape of illegality?

It is practically a wonder plant with its many uses. The pros outweigh the
cons.

Many countries grow hemp for paper production, and hemp makes high quality
durable rope, not to mention yarn for chokers and other kinds of jewelry.

Then there's the thought of the legalization of marijuana for recreational
purposes. It might even, dare I say it, take us a step further in ending
the drug war.

The drug war is about persecuting people who want to relax, try something
new or make themselves feel better.

Alcohol is used for all the same reasons, so why is it legal?

Alcohol has adverse effects on the liver after prolonged use and has high
potential for user addiction.

Alcohol is poison, which is why one vomits upon over consumption of booze.
It is impossible to overdose on marijuana.

If marijuana were legalized, I can only see positive results for our nation
as a whole: ailments would be relieved, there would be a new, safer
component to the textile industry and fewer people would be prosecuted
under trumped-up charges of possession and paraphernalia.

I hope the Therapeutic Humane Cannabis, or THC, initiative in Utah gets
some much-needed attention and achieves its goals.