THE TIME HAS COME: LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

With the recent public endorsement by Gary Johnson, the Republican Governor
of New Mexico, and the scandal involving Initiative 59, the great debate
regarding marijuana legalization has once again reopened. Unfortunately, the
great many taboos surrounding marijuana have made legalization a dirty word
in American politics, as many politicians fear the repercussions of a public
endorsement of marijuana use for any reason, medical or recreational.

Why? Most likely legislators fear that they will be tagged by the political
establishment as soft on crime or against family values.

Yet, today's politician has more to fear than labels, indeed they have to
face something more imposing the ignorance of a decent portion of the
American populace. This ignorance is not entirely the general population's
fault, for some individuals who have never experimented with marijuana or
spent any time immersed in its sub-culture, have to rely solely on the
information spoon fed to us from adolescence by anti-drug organizations such
as D.A.R.E.

Clearly, an organization such as this one cannot endorse any illegal drug,
however, they have not opted to ignore teaching about marijuana. Instead,
they have opted to teach lies, which permeate the young minds of school
children everywhere. They attempt to brainwash the youth so when they are
faced with the question of legalization in the future, they revert to an
image of a stereotypical "pothead" the spaced out, lazy, worthless, couch
potato, and therefore object to legalization for any purposes.

It is time to refute the myths perpetrated by various anti-drug
organizations and truthfully educate our nation about marijuana and the
potential benefits legalization can bring to our society.

Myth: Marijuana, like all other drugs, can be lethal. Truth: Nobody, not one
single individual has ever died as a result of a marijuana overdose. The
ratio of the amount of cannaboids necessary to get a person "stoned"
relative to the amount consumed necessary to kill is 1 to 40,000. Simply
put, a person would have to smoke somewhere around 38,000 to 40,000 joints
consecutively, without a break, to overdose from marijuana. This is
impossible due to time, physical, and quantity restraints. In comparison,
the ratio of intoxication leading to overdose from alcohol, a legal
beverage, is 1 to 4 or 5 depending on the individual (Indiana Civil
Liberties Union Task Force, "Marijuana Myths").

Myth: Marijuana is addictive. Truth: A study published this year by the
Institute of Medicine, which was presented to the United States Congress,
showed absolutely no evidence that marijuana is addictive or a gateway to
harder drugs such as cocaine or heroine. Furthermore, studies have shown
that marijuana is less likely to establish a dependency, not addiction, than
coffee (ICLU).

Myth: Marijuana causes memory loss and/or brain damage. Truth: The short
term memory loss referred to only occurs when the user is intoxicated.
Studies conducted on heavy marijuana smokers showed absolutely no evidence
of brain damage. In fact, marijuana smoking increases alpha brain waves,
which are linked to creativity and relaxation (ICLU).

Myth: Marijuana use is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Truth: The
addiction rate of smokers is 90 percent for those who smoke, in comparison
to marijuana which is non-addictive. Therefore, most smokers, smoke longer
and greater quantities than marijuana smokers. Cigarette smoke contains more
than 800 volatile chemicals, whereas "bhang", a tea made out of marijuana is
completely non-carcinogenic (ICLU).

Will you ever find a D.A.R.E. packet containing this type of information on
marijuana, probably not. That is, if corporate America has anything to do
with it. This is not a conspiracy theory. Industrial hemp, once legal in the
United States, was outlawed as the result of a powerful American paper lobby
who learned early the benefits of this product that would make their
companies obsolete.

Hemp pulp can yield as much as four times the amount of paper that tree pulp
produces, and at a higher quality with the simple harvest of a plant, not
endangered rainforests(Honolulu Advertiser, "Grass-roots Movement Pushes
Hemp). The lucrative pharmaceutical industry also fears the legalization of
marijuana for a very obvious reason, profit loss. Marijuana, proven to be
very effective for medical purposes, could be grown at no cost in your own
backyard.

Imagine, a world in which cancer and AIDS patients didn't have to pay
exorbitant amounts of money for ineffective pain killers and appetite enhancers.

Clearly, it is not just politicians who oppose marijuana legalization, it is
those lobbying the politicians as well.

Essentially, the pharmaceutical companies do have a great deal to fear in
the medicinal potential of marijuana.

Studies have shown that in terminally ill patients, marijuana helps control
pain, combat nausea, enhances appetite, reduces anxiety and stress and is a
very effective therapeutic sedative (Lancet).

Moreover, marijuana has been found to have great potential in reducing the
effects of movement disorders such as Huntington Disorder and Parkinson's
Disease (Lancet).

A recent survey of 1,035 oncologists found that 44 percent of these doctors
had already suggested medicinal marijuana use to their patients (Journal of
the American Medical Association). Almost 50 percent said that if a law were
approved today, they would prescribe it to their patients. That is a great
deal of money lost if marijuana was legalized.

Open your minds, or more importantly, your eyes and read some of the
research that has been done on marijuana, you might find that your
preconceived judgements are unjust.

The medical world is already beginning to reap the benefits that marijuana
has to offer, it is time that our government does the same.