SOME JUST TRYING TO LIVE A NORML LIFE

Hopefully you already know the subject of this article; the title
should have given it away. By the way, I came up with that title and I
like to think it has a nice ring. If you haven't figured it out yet,
the subject is the legalization of marijuana. Not some indecipherable,
ridiculous rambling by a "pothead." No, this is different. This, my
friends, is a well-researched piece filled with the facts that helped
me form my opinion.

So what is my opinion? Anyone who knows me can tell you the answer to
that one; I'm all for the legalization of marijuana, at least
decriminalization. That is not to say I advocate the excessive use of
drugs, but to each his own. I also do not think that marijuana, as
with alcohol, usage is safe or wise in a variety of situations.

Legalization is extreme and, as the name implies, would eliminate any
criminal charge associated with usage and cultivation of marijuana.
Several European countries have implemented various forms of
legalization and have seen surprising results. Abolishing the "black
market" for marijuana has reduced crime, and usage rates for youths in
The Netherlands are lower than in the United States.

A more plausible solution for the U.S., however, would be
decriminalization. Decriminalization removes the penalty for personal
use of marijuana, but maintains penalties for cultivation and dealing.
This is not a new issue for Americans; former presidents have endorsed
decriminalization and 12 states, including North Carolina, have
decriminalized marijuana since the early 70s. The various bills and
referendums in several of these states have passed overwhelmingly, in
Oregon the vote was 2:1. No studies have found that marijuana usage
increased in the states with forms of decriminalization.

It is clear that we are in a new era when marijuana is no longer
something to hide. Former president Clinton admitted to using
marijuana and our current president has reportedly used much harder
drugs. Marijuana is the third (following alcohol and tobacco) most
used recreational drug in the U.S. Almost 80 million people have
smoked marijuana and 11 million claim to use the drug regularly. The
simple fact that so many Americans were willing to respond to these
studies suggests that marijuana usage does not carry the same stigma
it once did.

How did such a popular and doctor recommended drug develop such a bad
reputation? Marijuana has been grown for thousands of years and has
been part of America's history for more than 400. Originally grown for
the hemp used in ropes, sails, clothing, maps, and bibles, marijuana
soon became a staple of the American economy. The same "moral
majority" that banned alcohol and rears its ugly head again today
worked very hard to change marijuana's image.

African-Americans adopted the drug into the jazz community and usage
picked up among Hispanic immigrant workers during the late 20's. The
Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) began a smear campaign against
marijuana shortly thereafter and pressured the eventual
criminalization bills into Congress. An example of the misinformation
perpetuated by the FBN is a bulletin released in the 30s that claims a
marijuana smoker "becomes a fiend with savage or 'cave man'
tendencies. His sex desires are aroused and some of the most horrible
crimes result. He hears light and sees sound. To get away from it, he
suddenly becomes violent and may kill."

The only person who spoke before Congress and challenged the bill was
Dr. William C. Woodward of the American Medical Association (AMA).
Woodward was concerned that the committee had not researched the issue
well enough and claimed that there was "no evidence" at that time to
prove the dangers, or benefits, of marijuana. One hour, only 90
seconds of which was spent debating in the House of Representatives,
was long enough to pass the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Roosevelt
signed the bill on Oct. 1, 1937, marking the beginning of the end for
marijuana use in the US.

After the Vietnam War, it became clear that marijuana usage was part
of American culture and was becoming the outlet for frustrated youth.
In 1972, Nixon backed a panel that found the dangers of using
marijuana to be lower than the dangers of being caught. In other
words, as Jimmy Carter told Congress in 1977: "Penalties against drug
use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the
drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the
possession of marijuana in private for personal use."

I simply ask that everyone look at all the facts before they make a
decision on marijuana, unlike Congress. The arrest totals per year for
marijuana exceed that of all violent crimes and are wasting taxpayers
billions in police man hours, legal fees and jail space. I guess it is
too hard to ask a president at war with the world to make peace with
his own people.