So I know this is a hot topic, but seriously, why not legalize marijuana in the FSM (or at least let each island state decide) and begin to capitalize off of the multi-billion dollar/year marijuana industry? Why should the "government" be allowed to say, "This is right (or legal) and this is wrong (or illegal)." Aren't we capable of making that choice for ourselves? I have a few facts and statistics listed below and I welcome your input. These facts may all be verified at the sited source...
Do you think marijuana is evil?
If you have a moral objection to the plant, then it's very hard to hold a debate on those grounds, because morality is the idea that something is right (or wrong) based on the ideals of a society, or for most people, it is centered around religious teachings. If that's the case, may I quote the Good Book?
"God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth…' And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:29-30)
"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food...And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.'" (Genesis 2:9,15)
Where does it say that we cannot use the marijuana plant? (or any other plant for that matter?)
Do you think Marijuana is bad for you?
If you plan to jump into this discussion with "my brother-in-law went psycho one time when he smoked marijuana" I would advise you to keep those comments to yourself, because I would argue that the individual who would do something bad while intoxicated (either on alcohol or marijuana) is someone who should not use any drugs anyway - PERIOD. There will always be people who abuse drugs - it doesn't matter if it's legal, like Bud Light, or illegal, like marijuana. To these individuals, I say "Don't use ANY drugs because you're spoiling it for the rest of us responsible ADULTS." There will always be people who blame drugs for their actions because, let's face it, irresposnible people such as this HATE to take responsibility for their own actions, so of course they blame the drugs because they are not big enough to take responsibility for themselves.
Fact: Marijuana is not physically addicting, nor does it kill like alcohol and cigarettes. While more than *450,000 people die from cigarettes, 150,000 people die from alcohol related illnesses, 100,000 people a year die from legal prescription drugs, and 1,000 people die from over-the-counter Aspirin*, not a single person in its recorded 5,000 year history has ever died from medical marijuana. (*US Center for Disease Control)
Fact: Currently, more than 60 U.S. and international health organizations support granting patients immediate legal access to medicinal marijuana, with many dozens more supporting marijuana research:
British House of Lords Select Committee On Science and Technology (Second Report)
British Medical Association
Canadian AIDS Society
Canadian Special Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs
Dr. Dean Edell (surgeon and nationally syndicated radio host)
French Ministry of Health
Health Canada
Kaiser Permanente
Being Alive: People With HIV/AIDS Action Committee
California Academy of Family Physicians
Rhode Island Medical Society
Rhode Island State Nurses Association
Wisconsin Nurses Association
Medical Society of New York
Mississippi Nurses Association
New Jersey State Nurses Association
New Mexico Medical Society
New Mexico Nurses Association
New York County Medical Society
New York State Nurses Association
North Carolina Nurses Association
California Nurses Association
California Pharmacists Association
Colorado Nurses Association
Connecticut Nurses Association
Florida Governor's Red Ribbon Panel on AIDS
Florida Medical Association
Hawaii Nurses Association
Illinois Nurses Association
Life Extension Foundation
Lymphoma Foundation of America
National Association for Public Health Policy
The Montel Williams MS Foundation
Multiple Sclerosis Society (Canada)
The Multiple Sclerosis Society (United Kingdom)
National Academy of Sciences Institute Of Medicine (IOM)
National Nurses Society on Addictions
Netherlands Ministry of Health
New England Journal of Medicine
Alaska Nurses Association
San Francisco Mayor's Summit on AIDS and HIV
San Francisco Medical Society
Vermont Medical Marijuana Study Committee
Virginia Nurses Association
Whitman-Walker Clinic
Fact: "New research shows that substances similar to or derived from marijuana, known as cannabinoids, could benefit more than 97 million Americans who experience some form of pain each year.†(Summing up its research work of four major universities, Society for Neuroscience, October 1997)
Fact: Marijuana has been medically prescribed for the symptomatic treatment of: Cancer, Arthritis, Glaucoma, Nausea, Anorexia, Chronic pain, Migraine, AIDS, Spasticity and Spinal injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease (Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, 2009)
Fact: Many would argue that the Federal Government hasn't put in the proper research to prove whether or not marijuana is a dangerous drug; to the contrary, the US Government has spent more than $100 million dollars over the last 40 years to support their case that the use of marijuana is bad for the health. However, there has never been a conclusive report that suggests this. In fact, the respected British Medical Journal, The Lancet reports that, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco." (The Lancet, Nov. 1995)
The WAR ON DRUGS
This is a failed U.S. Policy that was started during the Regan administration. It has been the backbone of every U.S. President since. Therefore its policies have been handed down to their territories and associated states.
Fact:The "War on Drugs" costs the US nearly 40 billion dollars each year, with 12 billion dollars used for Marijuana prohibition alone. (US News & World Report) Think if they spent that 12 billion on other things?? Imagine the how many lives that much money could impact.
Fact: Remarkably, despite being illegal for nearly 65 years, domestically grown marijuana is one of the top cash crops in the U.S, ranking 3rd behind corn and wheat. Its estimated value is in excess of $10 billion annually.
Fact:Regretfully, unlike dozens of agricultural products, the tremendous wholesale and retail tax benefits from America's multi-billion dollar domestic marijuana industry is totally unrealized tax revenue for local, state and federal governments. Additionally, the government-inspired policy of marijuana prohibition creates myriad criminal justice and social problems. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 2010)
Fact: Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco - the same might be said of the FSM, but that is not a statistic that is available at this time), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.
Fact: More than 30 percent of the U.S. population lives under some form of marijuana decriminalization (it's legal in SOME form in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, & Oregon), and according to government and academic studies, these laws have not contributed to an increase in marijuana consumption nor negatively impacted adolescent attitudes toward drug use.
A Final Thought -
I am certainly not suggesting that marijuana be grown on every street corner and used at leisure by anyone and everyone, as some alarmists might suggest. I would suggest that the laws reflect the current laws regarding alcohol. People are already familiar with these laws. For one, you must be of legal age to use or buy (think of the revenue alone for the permits to buy, sell, or grow marijuana), you must be in a legally designated area (such as a bar or a private residence) - and even under current laws, you cannot smoke cigarettes in a public place, so that limits the use of marijuana to a private residence or a legally designated smoking area.
These are just some facts and statistics that I've complied to help educate and persuade people to re-examine the marijuana laws for the benefit of our islands.
Not hateful comments, please. This is just a dialogue. I welcome criticism in all forms and any facts or statistics to the contrary are welcome.