PASS THE POT

The Benefits Of Marijuana Usage Should Be Enough For Legalization

Last week, five speakers met in the Lone Star Auditorium to discuss
the benefits of legalizing marijuana. It is our opinion that the costs
of the war on marijuana far outweigh the results, and marijuana can
provide medical benefits that are not available otherwise. Whether or
not students agree with our stance on the issue, they should be aware
of how all drug policies can affect them.

Speaker Clayton Jones said there are numerous proven benefits, and
studies have not revealed negative effects. Bryon Adinoff argued that
there are potentially damaging effects and that the drug can be
dangerous but also possibly useful in moderation. According to a
report by the National Academy of Sciences, "Although few marijuana
users develop dependence, some do. But they appear to be less likely
to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine),
and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on
other drugs."

Studies have shown that the medical use of marijuana can help
chemotherapy patients with vomiting and nausea.

The Institute of Medicine's report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the
Science Base states that "for patients such as those with AIDS or ... who
suffer simultaneously from severe pain, nausea and appetite loss,
cannabinoid drugs might offer broad-spectrum relief not found in any other
single medication."

James Quinn spoke on how the costs of prosecuting users are much too
high and that arguments that marijuana use leads to violence are
untrue and propagated for political reason.

The Marijuana Policy Project is an organization that believes criminal
penalties for marijuana use should be abolished. Its Web site states
that 734,498 people were arrested in 2002 for marijuana-related
offenses. Of those, about 88 percent of marijuana arrests are for
possession - not the manufacture or distribution. Many people,
including young people who have never committed any violent crime, are
put in prisons with violent offenders.

The organization estimates that the war on marijuana costs taxpayers
$12 billion annually. By making the drug legal, it could be regulated
and taxed, making it much more profitable for the government and
society and safer for users.

Whatever your views on the issue, make sure you know how marijuana
laws affect you, and write your representative with any questions or
concerns.