LEGITIMATE REASONS TO LEGALIZE CANNABIS

If marijuana were to become legalized, it would have three main functions:
industrial use, medical use and personal/recreational use. Before I get
into the reasons I support its legalization, I'll list a brief history of
cannabis in the United States.

- - During the 1770s, patriots could be jailed for not growing cannabis; it
was considered an essential crop in order to ensure economic independence
from Britain. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their
plantations.

- - Hemp was used to make paper, rope, fabric, ship sails and paints. It is
one of the world's strongest natural fibers and is more naturally resistant
to insects and disease than cotton.

- - Hemp was legal tender for money for more than a century in the United States.

- - Cannabis was widely used for medical purposes throughout the late 1800s
until cocaine became a more popular pain reliever; many Victorian women
became addicted to cocaine, which was considered a more feminine
pain-relieving drug than cannabis
(http://addictionology.com/chapter1/Aldrich.PDF ).

- - In the early 1900s, smoking cannabis became increasingly visible among
African-Americans and Mexican-Americans of the Southwest. In fear,
Southwestern and Southern states prohibited the use of "marihuana," as
Mexicans called it, for recreational purposes.

- - In 1936, a propaganda film, "Reefer Madness," was released, claiming that
marijuana leads youth to kill, rape and listen to jazz music.

- - In February 1938, Popular Mechanics prints an article called "New Billion
Dollar Crop," which hails that the new decorticator, a machine that can
remove hemp fibers from the rest of the stalk, will make hemp the new
American cash crop. This invention put paper manufacturers with large
timber holdings, such as Kimberly Clark and Hurst Paper, in financial
jeopardy (http://www.cannabis.com/untoldstory/pmpage1.shtml).

- - In 1938, Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act, which made the growth or
consumption of cannabis for any purpose illegal.

And so, the reasons I am for the legalization of marijuana:

Industrial Use:

- - Hemp, a specific species of marijuana, is composed of less than 1 percent
tetrahydrocannabinol (http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5447 ).

- - Hemp produces a higher yield per acre than cotton and has a growing cycle
of 100 days.

- - Hemp seeds provide more protein than soy.

- - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you can produce four
times as much paper from an acre of marijuana than an acre of trees.
Marijuana can be harvested at a quicker rate than trees.

- - Hemp yields four times the amount of cellulose you can get from a corn
stalk. Cellulose is used to produce methanol, which has been used to power
cars. Hemp has the potential to reduce or eliminate our dependence on oil
(http://jackherer.com/).

- - NAFTA and the United Nations recognize hemp as a commercial crop. The
European Union subsidizes farmers who grow hemp, and it is currently being
grown for commercial use in Canada (http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5447).

Medical Use:

- - Marijuana can be used to treat glaucoma, to relieve pain and nausea, to
prevent some malignant tumors, and to stimulate the appetite of those
suffering from AIDS and eating disorders.

- - Marijuana is legal for medical use in 34 states, although federal law
prohibits doctors from prescribing it.

- - The European medical journal The Lancet stated, "The smoking of cannabis,
even in the long term, is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to
judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco."

- - As a plant, marijuana cannot be corporately patented as a chemical. If
made legal, marijuana could become one of the cheapest medicines available.

Miscellaneous:

- - Marijuana is non-toxic and cannot cause death by overdose. Fifty thousand
people die each year from alcohol poisoning, and 400,000 die each year from
tobacco use. There are no documented cases of death caused by marijuana use.

- - If made legal, marijuana could be regulated as alcohol and tobacco are. A
legal age for marijuana use could be established.

- - More than 60 percent of Americans support the legalization of marijuana.

- - One should not drive or operate heavy machinery under the influence of
marijuana any more than under the influence of alcohol.

- - Marijuana consumption is safe when used by responsible adults.

- - Criminalizing marijuana users and growers takes resources and jail space.
We waste time, money and manpower by prosecuting those who use marijuana.

Technician Online is running a poll asking N.C. State students how they
feel about the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized,
and it seems that nearly 70 percent of you would agree.

For more information on this topic, Ariel suggests reading a copy of "The
Emperor Wears No Clothes" by Jack Herer.