SENSELESSNESS OF THE WAR ON MARIJUANA

It is touching, in this age of political partisanship and congressional
gridlock, to see both sides of the aisle come together on an issue.
When it comes to the colossal failure commonly referred to as the war
on drugs, it seems that most elected and appointed officials agree that
the drug war is a struggle that we can - and should - win. Knee-jerk
support for the drug war, however, masks the sad fact that logic, truth
and the realities of human behavior hold no sway in the war on some
drugs.

Lately, policymakers have hit all-time lows in their quest to get
"tough on drugs." The recent White House media blitz alleging a link
between drugs and terrorism conveniently omits one salient fact: The
reason drugs create vast profits is because they are illegal. It is
drug prohibition, not drug use, that funds terrorism. When you consider
that 76 million Americans admit to ever having used marijuana, that
nearly two-thirds of all current illegal drug users use only marijuana,
and that most U.S.-consumed marijuana is grown domestically or in
Canada or Mexico (not exactly terrorist havens), it becomes clear that
the war on drugs is really a war on marijuana, and that the federal
government is waging a war on its own citizens.

The "drugs equal terrorism" campaign is nothing but an attempt to
demonize a large segment of the population in order to justify
ever-larger drug war budgets. Another curious tactic in the war is
the denial of federal financial aid to students who have been
convicted of drug offenses. Take a look at Question 35 on the FAFSA
form, and consider this: A convicted rapist or murderer can receive aid,
but if you've been caught with a joint, you lose your chance at higher
education. What part of society could possibly benefit from this
inherently unfair regulation?

And then there's the hemp issue. In the DEA's epic battle to eradicate
marijuana and all things related to it, the lowly hemp plant is now
under attack. Hemp, the plant used to make the paper on which the
Declaration of Independence is written, is the non-psychoactive
cousin of the marijuana plant. Despite the fact that hemp is so low
in THC (the chemical in marijuana that causes the "high") that even
if you smoked a hemp joint the size of a telephone pole you couldn't
get high, hemp-based foods will be considered illegal as of March 19.
Which means the hemp pretzels you eat for lunch will be considered
a violation of federal law, the same as if you were caught with a
similar quantity of marijuana or heroin, both of which are classified
as Schedule I controlled substances with high potential for abuse.

The recent drug busts at AU have arguably done little to eliminate the
school's source of drugs, but much to terrorize students and further
undermine the credibility of a justice system that is anything but
just. Students who want to purchase drugs will find another source,
and the students who were arrested will have their lives forever
damaged by the raids.

Is AU better off with six of its own behind bars? Are Americans safer
without hemp energy bars or the ability to go to college? Are those
who choose to smoke marijuana truly aiding terrorists? The war on
drugs, especially marijuana, is a catastrophe that has irrevocably
harmed this country.

It is time to stop this insanity. Let's restore common sense to this
country's drug laws. Just say no to prohibition.