DECRIMINALIZATION MUCH-NEEDED

I am not a hippy - "one who advocates extreme liberalism in
sociopolitical attitudes and lifestyles." I know marijuana should not
be completely legalized because heavy marijuana use can have many
harmful effects on an individual and on their friends and family.
However, I want the same as many devoted hippy liberals out there -
marijuana should be decriminalized and available for medicinal use.

One may wonder why I begin this article by asserting the fact that I
am not a hippy. It is because many of these people argue against the
current laws on marijuana for the wrong reasons. For example, the
characteristic line of reasoning is that the government should reform
marijuana laws because it is natural therefore it is harmless.

A few weeks ago I was listening to 91.7 WHUS Storrs. The DJ and his
friends blatantly revealed the fact that they were stoned at the
moment and declared their love for the mild hallucinogen while
questioning if marijuana should be used for medicinal purposes.

One of the guys responded with a classic statement, "Of course it
should be used for medicinal purposes, it's like, natural, dude."
Saying that marijuana is not bad for you because it is natural is like
saying we should all roll around in a field of poison ivy while eating
poisonous berries because those are natural as well. Heck, why don't
we just try and smoke the poison ivy, it's natural; it won't hurt us.
The point is, natural can be far from harmless.

There are many alternative arguments in support of cannabis other than
the fact it is "natural." The main problem in the U.S. is the laws are
too strict. Public organizations are constantly bombarding us with
bogus ads (like the one where the kid takes a hit from a bong, then
picks up a gun and shoots his friend. Marijuana, "Harmless?") and
boring school health programs tell us not to smoke pot. This is
exactly what makes children and adolescents more curious about
marijuana and wanting to try it. Everybody knows that when you tell a
teenager not to do something it will be the first thing he or she will
want to do.

This point can be backed up with data as well. The United States has
some of the strictest marijuana laws in the world. This means a low
percentage of people have tried marijuana in the U.S., right? WRONG.
Our country has the 3rd highest percentage in the world of citizens
who have tried cannabis according to nationmaster.com. They found that
12.3% of our citizens above the age of 12 have tried smoking cannabis
compared with 7.41% in Canada (from where a lot of the U.S. supply of
marijuana is grown) and 5.24% in the Netherlands (also known as
Amsterdam to many of you). We all know these countries have far more
liberal laws on the matter, but their people do not use marijuana
nearly as much because it is not a big deal.

It would be great if marijuana were not such a big deal in the U.S. It
could easily be used for medicinal purposes to relieve pain, suppress
hunger or curb depression, according to a UConn researcher working to
create a pill form of tetra-hydro-cannibol (THC). This is a step in
the right direction.

Also, if it were decriminalized and therefore become less of a big
deal, it would do wonders for the original hippies of the 60s and 70s
(our mom's and dad's) who are now dependent on expensive pills such as
Prozac, Paxil, Concerta and others to cope with their new corporate
jobs and immensely different lifestyles. Instead of taking a pill
everyday, why not just smoke a little pot when the corporate job gets
and little stressful and irritating? Why must every corporation have
drug tests for marijuana? It should not be a big deal. Workers should
be able to protect their privacy and freedom by saying "No, you are
not testing me. It is my own business."

When I was in the Netherlands last summer, I saw a respectable man
around 30 or 40 years old come into the coffee shop wearing a nice
suit. He proceeded to buy a joint and smoke it. I went over and asked
him why he was wearing the suit. He simply told me nonchalantly, "I'm
working. This is my lunch break." Some people like to eat on their
lunch break; some people like to smoke pot on their lunch break. As
long as the worker does a good job why should it matter? It's not like
the guy was getting completely ripped - he was just sitting down and
smoking a joint for a couple minutes to help him cope with the rest of
his day. That is no better or worse than taking pills all the time.

It must be understood that I am not saying the U.S. should adopt the
same laws as the Holland or Canada - That would not be a good idea. If
it were to happen, the whole country would go up in smoke. However,
the government should be more lenient and not try to pound us with
propaganda. It only makes the children and teenagers want to try
marijuana more.

The government needs to realize Americans smoke a lot of pot, 3rd most
in the world, and the current laws are not deterring anyone from
lighting up. The laws should only include jail time or probation for
those caught selling the drug illegally, and for those who are only
caught with a small amount once or twice there should be much milder
punishments than we have now in most states. If this were to happen
along with a milder, more truthful anti-cannabis campaign on
television commercials and in schools, the number of people smoking
marijuana in the U.S. would drop.