MARIJUANA SHOULD NOT BE ILLEGAL

Why Is Marijuana Still Prohibited?

Government's answer: because you shouldn't use it. You shouldn't use
it because it's prohibited. It's prohibited because you shouldn't use
it. You shouldn't use it because...

Real answer: persistent myths about marijuana still remain, and they
are repeated endlessly by the government, public schools and the
media. These myths are preventing many Americans from realizing that
there really is no good reason for prohibiting marijuana. However,
they are becoming less and less effective. A 2001 Gallup poll revealed
that one in three Americans already believes in ending marijuana
prohibition. It is only a matter of time before the majority comes out
in favor of ending it. I hope to quicken that process by rebutting
some often-repeated marijuana myths in this column.

"The only reason someone would support ending marijuana prohibition is
so they can legally get high."

Many non-marijuana users support an end
to prohibition for various reasons. Libertarians, such as myself,
simply want people to have the freedom to do what they want without
infringing on the rights of others. Smoking marijuana does not
infringe on anyone's rights, so you should be able to do it. Other
people recognize that the cost of prohibiting marijuana far outweighs
any benefits. And still others realize the hypocrisy in having legal
alcohol but not having legal marijuana, when alcohol is the more
dangerous drug.

"Marijuana is much more potent today, and this is a bad thing."

The average THC in marijuana is slightly higher today (about 5 percent).
However, this myth doesn't even make sense as an argument for
marijuana prohibition. Generally, marijuana smokers stop smoking when
they have gotten satisfactorily high. So more potent marijuana means
that less smoke is inhaled, which is better for the lungs. It does not
mean it is more dangerous.

"Marijuana is highly addictive."

In a U.S. Institute of Medicine report, less than 10 percent of marijuana users ever exhibited symptoms of dependence. By contrast, the numbers were 15 percent for
alcohol users and 32 percent for cigarette smokers.

"Marijuana can significantly damage your health."

No one has ever died from cannabis poisoning. This is mostly because the average adult would have to smoke roughly 900 joints in one sitting to overdose. In
this respect, it is hundreds of times safer than alcohol and cigarettes.

Marijuana does not cause brain damage. Two 1977 studies published in
the Journal of the American Medical Association showed no evidence of
brain damage in heavy users of marijuana.

In the long term, the most common health problem resulting from heavy
marijuana use is chronic bronchitis (coughing and wheezing). Heavy use
may also cause cancer, though that is not proven. Occasional marijuana
use is not likely to have any significant effect on your health, but
it may be risky to use if you are susceptible to panic attacks and/or
psychosis.

"The damage to your health caused by marijuana justifies prohibition."

Even if marijuana were as harmful a drug as warriors claim, that would
not justify prohibition. We are not children anymore. I think we are
quite capable of deciding for ourselves whether smoking marijuana is
worth the risks.

"Ending marijuana prohibition would be detrimental to society."

No, ending marijuana prohibition would be profoundly beneficial to
society. We would no longer have to spend billions of dollars every
year to pursue and lock up nonviolent marijuana users and sellers. Law
enforcement could direct more of their efforts toward stopping real
criminals. Gang violence and organized crime would go down. Assaults
on our civil liberties would also be greatly reduced.

"Getting `tough on drugs' reduces marijuana use."

Harsher punishments generally do not significantly reduce marijuana use. Ten states
currently treat possession of marijuana as a non-criminal offense,
punishable only by a fine. A federal study comparing these states to
states with harsher punishments found that "decriminalization has had
virtually no effect on either marijuana use or on related attitudes
about marijuana use among young people."

"Marijuana use leads to the use of harder drugs."

If anything, the opposite is true. A 1993 Rand Corporation study found that states that
had decriminalized marijuana experienced decreased hard drug abuse.
The explanation for this is that if people can more easily get
marijuana, they tend to use it as a substitute for harder drugs.

"Marijuana prohibition at the federal level is constitutional."

No, it is completely unconstitutional. The federal government is not
authorized by the Constitution to prohibit substances by the Tenth
Amendment which states that power is reserved to the states or to the
people. People understood this when alcohol was prohibited, so that
required a Constitutional amendment. Constitutional prohibition of
marijuana would also require a Constitutional amendment.

There are many more marijuana myths, but these are all I have room
for. If you are interested in learning more, I suggest going to
www.erowid.org. And if you are interested in doing something about
marijuana prohibition, you might check out the Virginia Tech NORML or
Libertarian Party organizations.