LEGALIZING MARIJUANA NOT SOLUTION TO BOOSTING ECONOMY

What was once only a dream shared by potheads throughout America may
soon become somewhat of a reality. States across the country are
debating policy changes concerning the legality of medical marijuana.

This year alone, 14 states will consider legalizing marijuana for
medical purposes or reducing the penalties for possessing small
amounts for personal use or both. On top of that, 14 states have
already relaxed their marijuana laws.

I am opposed to the legalization of marijuana. While many state that
the legalization of medical marijuana will help bring us out of the
economic recession, I think there are alternative routes.

"A new poll reports half of New York voters support legalizing the use
of marijuana for medical purposes," an Associated Press article
published on March 22 stated. "The Siena Research Institute shows 50
percent back legalization, while 41 percent are opposed and 9 percent
say they don't have enough information."

Whether it's a general change in attitude or a result of the recent
economic recession, drug laws that have been in effect for more than
40 years may soon go up in smoke.

Experts believe that since many of today's adults were baby boomers
who grew up in the '70s, when experimenting with drugs was the norm,
there has been a general shift in the population's attitude toward
marijuana. A 2009 Gallup poll asked people if they thought marijuana
should be legal, illegal or if they had no opinion. The results found
that 44 percent of Americans supported legalizing marijuana, compared
with only 12 percent in 1969.

One explanation is that the recent economic recession has caused
states to look for money in different places and that the idea of
regulating and taxing marijuana would solve many of the financial
problems and budget deficits states like California and New York are
facing. This answer seems to be closer to the truth.

Although public opinion has shifted, the majority of Americans are
still opposed. In the same 2009 Gallup poll, 54 percent of people
believed marijuana should be kept illegal. A better alternative, and
one that no one seems to address, is lowering marijuana's status from
its current status as a Schedule One drug.

Schedule One drugs, as classified and defined in the Controlled
Substances Act, are drugs that have no accepted medical use or value
and have a high potential for abuse. Other drugs under this schedule
include ecstasy and heroin. Science has shown that marijuana does have
medical value, and to say that it is highly addicting is a stretch of
the truth to say the least. The Controlled Substance Act is archaic
and outdated. Before legislators even address the question of the
legality of marijuana, they need to change the way they enforce it.

However, Syracuse University students expressed their support for
legalization. Jeanine Stanislaus, a sophomore public relations major,
cited the drug's medicinal uses as one of her reasons. "It's been
proven that marijuana can relax people who are sick," Stanislaus said.
"Cancer patients often use marijuana as a way to ease the pain they
experience when under chemotherapy."

Chris Schultz, an undeclared freshman in the College of Arts and
Sciences, explained his support as a logical conclusion when
considering the patterns of human behavior.

"Legalization is necessary," Schultz said. "People throughout the
country will continue to use marijuana whether or not the drug is
legal. A smart move by the government would be to legalize marijuana
so the government could place a large tax on it."

Prohibition of alcohol in the United States came to an end during the
Great Depression because of its money-making ability. Politicians and
government officials are just realizing that same fact in regard to
marijuana. I'm not one of them, but the economic advantages seem to be
the clinching point for many people who were once opposed to
legalization.

Samuel Blackstone is a sophomore magazine journalism and political
science major. His column appears weekly.