I am a firm believer that Marijuana prohibition should come to an end. I have researched and talked to lots of professionals to come up with my beliefs and which side of the fence I should stand on. I believe Marijuana should be legalized for medical purpose and legalized for responsible adults. I believe that with laws comparable to Alcohol and Tobacco marijuana would become a recreation that many adults could responsibly enjoy and will help society more than harm it.
I am not alone in these beliefs and I am not ignorant to believe that everyone believes the same thing as me. I have discussed my beliefs with many people and have come across my fair share of debates. I have made posts in many places challenging people to debate me on the issue.
The main debate I get is about the children of a community.
“Legalization will make it easier for children to have access to Marijuana.”
To this I have one main point that needs to be made. All organizations for the end of Marijuana prohibition have all agreed that no one under the age of 21 should be able to gain access to Marijuana when it becomes legal. I am also going to add in there that in some states where Marijuana has been either decriminalized or legalized for medical purposes have special penalties in place for underage use and possession near or on school grounds. This is like Alcohol and tobacco in many ways. Here in New York Smoking on school grounds in prohibited. Selling or giving cigarettes or alcohol to a minor can land you a fine or incarceration. Why would this be any different than Marijuana.
No one is saying that marijuana use should be encouraged when it comes to the children. Marijuana has been on an increase since 1972 among High School children while Smoking has been decreasing over the same time frame. Why is this? Smoking Cigarettes has become monitored and taxed by the government for years. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I was able to walk up to a machine that was taller than me and put three quarters in and get a pack of cigarettes. No one would look twice at me or tell me I wasn’t allowed to buy them. There was a sign everywhere that said you must be 18 to buy tobacco. No one cared. Years later people were fined for selling cigarettes to minors, television ads were showing the lungs after years of smoking and children were taught about the hazards of smoking cigarettes. This is because of years of research and tests that have proven smoking is bad for you. There have been many people researching the benefits of marijuana for medical use there has also been research that has been reaccomplished since the early 70’s to prove that Marijuana does not cause cancer, does not make you schizophrenic and will not make you want to grab a needle full of heroin.
This is the time on information. Children grow up learning how to search the Internet to learn about what ever they want. Children go to class to hear how bad marijuana is and then search the Internet to realize that they were taught inaccurate and embellished information. This is a discredit to our school systems and to our teachers. You gain a lot of respect from the young of a community by teaching them the truth.
Well then how do you teach your children not to use Marijuana?
My first response to this question is always another question, How do you teach your children not to drink alcohol? This usually gets the response that they teach their children that alcohol is illegal until they turn 21. Why not teach children that marijuana is illegal until they turn 21? The people that I run across that do not understand this way of thinking are those that have never done a minute of research on their own about marijuana. I hear things like, “All stoner’s are lazy and can not hold a job.” or, “everyone I know that smokes weed is stupid.” I again have an easy response to these. “how many alcoholics have a problem holding down a job?” then there is the, “If a stupid person is stupid and you see them smoke marijuana you blame the marijuana, is it possible the person was stupid to begin with?”
January 19, 2005
We, the undersigned Attorneys General, write to express our concern aboutrecent DEA actions with respect to prescription pain medication policy and to requesta joint meeting with you… The National Association of Attorneys General in 2003 adopted a Resolution Calling for a Balanced Approach to Promoting Pain Relief and Preventing Abuse of Pain Medications. Both these documents reflected a consensus among lawenforcement agencies, health care practitioners, and patient advocates that theprevention of drug abuse is an important societal goal that can and should be pursuedwithout hindering proper patient care. The [DEA Pain Guidelines] issued in 2004 appeared to be consistent with these principles, so we were surprised when they were withdrawn. The Interim Policy published on November 16, 2004 emphasizes enforcement, and seems likely to have a chilling effect on physicians engaged in the legitimate practice of medicine…
We have learned that adequate pain management is often difficult to obtain because many physicians fear investigations and enforcement actions if they prescribe adequate levels of opioids or have many patients with prescriptions for pain medications. We are working to address these concerns while ensuring that individuals who do divert or abuse drugs are prosecuted…
We hope that together we can find ways to prevent abuse and diversion without infringing on the legitimate practice of medicine or exerting a chilling effect on the willingness of physicians to treat patients who are in pain… We hope to meet eith you soon.
Sincerely,
Attorneys General of:
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia,Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia
I am sharing this with all of you… I am not saying you have to agree with me on my opinions but I am excited the first letter I have ever written to an editor was actually Published 2 working days after I sent it. I am going to copy the letter to here so You can read it. Not only was it Published faster than most according to my Contacts but they added the above title to the letter. I didn’t have a title on the one I sent.
I never understood how all-consuming chronic pain could be until I injured my back while serving in the military.
Ever since then, my time and energy has been devoted to pain management. Powerful narcotic prescription painkillers leave me feeling like a zombie and often do little to ease the pain.
On a trip to Amsterdam after I left the Air Force, I discovered the relief medical marijuana can provide. I’ve since discussed it with my Multiple Medical professionals, and they have agrees medical marijuana could be a far safer, more effective treatment for me than my current regimen.
Unfortunately, that decision isn’t between me and my doctor. If I use the medicine he recommends, I could be arrested. I could go to jail. I could lose my beautiful daughter’s. So instead I endure needless pain.
Luckily, my state senator, majority leader Joseph Bruno, has an opportunity to help me by taking up the medical marijuana bill recently passed by the Assembly. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s popular: Recent polls in several New York districts show support for medical marijuana laws ranges between 61 and 76 percent, including 55 percent of Conservative Party voters.
I implore Sen. Bruno and his colleagues to do the compassionate thing and pass this medical marijuana bill now.
Please send an email to your Senator to help get this bill passed in a special session. It is a prefilled email and the more they get the better.
https://ssl.capwiz.com/mpp/issues/alert/?alertid=9874316
The State Assembly already passed this but the Senate has denied it. Let the Senators know that it is in NY’s best interest and the majority of the population wants this. http://ny.mpp.org/site/c.grKMIYPGIqE/b.1773517/k.BE7A/Home.htm
For those of you in other states - Go check out http://www.mpp.org/
According to the federally funded Monitoring the Future Survey,“Marijuana has been almost universally available to American high schoolseniors over at least the past 28 years.”
Since 1972 marijuana use by teenagers has increased from 14% to todaywhere 16% of 8th graders and 45% of 12th graders have tried pot.
Incontrast, daily cigarette use by high school seniors has declined from 27%in 1975 to 16% in 2004!
Credible education — as opposed to exaggerated claims — actuallyworks! Prohibition makes things worse: more availability, more violence,unidentifiable and possibly impure drugs, and a system that exploitsteens to enrich drug dealers.
Quotes and Stats Published in the Rocky Mountain News October 21, 2006
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