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Eradicating Ignorance

J. Rupke ENGL 151-023 M. Walker Dec 04, 2012

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Arguably one of the most heated debates in British Columbia right now is whether or not to legalize recreational Marijuana usage. This topic has been a cornerstone for many politicians and proves to be a sensitive issue, as people are most often in one of two parties: for or against legalization. Marijuana criminalization has torn families apart, caused thousands of deaths as a result of cartel violence, and caused many to spend long periods of time in jail. Marijuana itself has also been shown to banish chronic pain, treat anxiety disorders, and provide an appetite to those undergoing treatment for cancer. Through unpacking these complex ideas, the hope is to decide whether recreational marijuana usage should be legalized in Canada or not. Since 2006, approximately 50,000 people have been killed in a gruesome war to control lucrative smuggling lanes into the United States. (Blunt Trauma, 2012) Cartel violence is by nature, extremely disturbing. 49 headless bodies dumped on a highway. Chainsaw beheadings posted on YouTube, and full-scale battles amongst cartels and the military with civilians mowed down in the crossfire (Blunt Trauma, 2012) are only a few examples of the Cartels attempts to intimidate each other and their government. If you travel to some areas of Mexico, it is obvious how much the cartels violence has affected the country in negative ways. This statistic is not new, and many North Americans are well aware of the unrest in Mexico as a result of illegal trading. What many people do not realize is that in 2010 Mexican officials estimated that cannabis [Now] provides the cartels with as much as half of their revenue. (Blunt Trauma, 2012) Mexican Cartels are poly drug, which means that they are responsible for the illegal trading of many different kinds of drugs including crystal meth, cocaine and heroin. The largest single source of income for cartels remains marijuana. Money for the cartels is the single driving

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force that causes all of the unrest and hostilities we observe. If the United States and Canada legalized and controlled marijuana usage and more importantly, the growing of the plant, there would be no need to purchase the drug from Mexico. By limiting their ability to gain finances through illegal trade, we could restrict their ability to buy munitions and war assets. Cartel violence would decrease, and the Mexican military would have a much higher chance of eliminating the cartels internally. Thousands of lives would be saved, and their government may be able to quell the cartels violence almost entirely. An impact of this nature is impossible to ignore when discussing whether or not to legalize the drug. Although the evidence is clear about the effect legalization would have on drug cartels, many argue that the drug should remain an illegal substance in our country, and its effects on people are a testament to the stance. They argue that the plant is harmful to the users lungs, and that it is much more potent today than it was previously; and this is true. THC concentrations in marijuana sold on the street used to range from 1% to 4% of the total product; by 2003, average THC concen-tration had risen to 7%(Medical Marijuana and the mind, 2010). It is argued that higher concentration of THC may increase dependency, and therefore, increase addictive properties. Observational studies suggest that one in nine people who smoke marijuana regularly, become dependent on it (Medical Marijuana and the mind, 2010). Some also argue that regular usage can result in developing a type of bipolar disorder because of the effects the drug has on dopamine levels in the body. Several observational studies have suggested that daily marijuana usage may, in some users, actually increase symptoms of depression, decrease motivation, and promote the development of this [bipolar] disorder (Medical Marijuana and the mind, 2010). The opinion held by many is that marijuana

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simply has too many negative effects on people as a whole, and should never be legalized. Further analysis of these arguments though, may be necessary to provide a sober view of the effects that it has on people. Contrary to popular belief, there are many positive effects of marijuana. In its comprehensive 1999 review, [for example], the Institute of Medicine concluded that marijuana may be modestly effective for pain relief (particularly nerve pain), appetite stimulation for people with AIDS wasting syndrome, and control of chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting (Medical Marijuana and the mind 2010). Medical marijuana is legal in Canada, and has been used to treat many cases of illness. Some uses of the drug include the amelioration of nausea and vomiting, stimulation of hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, lowered intraocular eye pressure (shown to be effective for treating glaucoma), as well as gastrointestinal illnesses (Medicinal use of cannabis in the United States, 2009). The positive effects of the drug are not the issue though. Let us parallel the negative effects of marijuana which are often stated, with those of legal, over the counter drugs today. It is true that marijuana, when smoked, can cause lung and mouth cancer. Compare this to a legal substance such as tobacco, one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Canada. For most people, smoking is an hourly habit. This highly pollutes the lungs, and causes severe respiratory problems. Although it possesses some of the same chemicals as cigarettes, marijuana has been shown to cause much less damage to users. This is partially because marijuana does not contain many of the toxic chemicals that cigarettes do, and partially because smoking marijuana is, for most people, a daily habit, not an hourly one.

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As a response to the argument that it is more potent today than it has been previously, let us compare THC concentration to a legalized substance such as alcohol. If you were to peruse a liquor store today, you would see alcohol contents ranging from 3% to nearly 90%. All of these are available to anyone above the local legal drinking age. People almost never protest against alcohol content in liquor, but when it comes to a drug such as marijuana, it becomes one of the key factors to opponents of legalization. Considering the effects of THC contrasted with the effects of alcohol, this becomes simply illogical. The addictive properties of marijuana can again be contrasted with that of cigarettes. Although one in nine regular users of marijuana become addicted, 100% of regular users of tobacco become addicted. When contrasted with the addictive properties of tobacco, marijuana appears to be much less serious. It is not logical to use this argument as evidence to support prohibition. It has been shown that Marijuana usage can have negative psychological effects such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and in some cases schizophrenia. Let us compare this to the psychological effects of a legal, over the counter drug such as Salvia Divinorum. Some side effects of Salvia include sensations of motion, being pulled or twisted by forces, visions of membranes (films and various two-dimensional surfaces), merging with or becoming objects, overlapping realities (such as the perception of being in several locations at once), psychosis, flailing of the limbs, and increased thoughts of suicide. When you parallel the effects of both of the drugs it is clear to see that marijuana is the safer substance. There is also a level of selection bias when it comes to censuses regarding marijuana usage. Many people take the drug to treat their anxiety, and when asked if they suffer from anxiety would naturally say yes. This does not

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necessarily imply that marijuana creates anxiety disorders. The fact that marijuana usage is illegal, while salvia and other serious drugs are available over the counter is preposterous. Judge Francis Young concluded after extensive testimony that in strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care (An End to Marijuana Prohibition, 2004). There have been zero recorded deaths resulting from a marijuana overdose. Compare this to virtually any other drug, and it is clear that marijuana is not overly dangerous to people. Questions still remain though. What would it look like if recreational marijuana usage was legal, and how would the government control it? Legalizing recreational marijuana usage in Canada and the United states would have a significant positive economic impact. Two of every five Americans, according to a 2003 Zogby poll, say the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: It should regulate it, control it, tax it, and only make it illegal for children (An End to Marijuana Prohibition, 2004). This widely held belief would make a lot of sense for both Canada and the United states. Police [in the United States] make about 700,000 arrests per year for marijuana offenses. That is almost the same number as are arrested each year for cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Ecstasy, and all other illicit drugs combined (An End to Marijuana Prohibition, 2004). A recent study on legalization by the RAND Corporations Drug Policy Research Center estimates that the state [California] could see tax revenues in the $650 million

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to $760 million range, rising perhaps to $1.5 billion with increases in demand. At the same time, law enforcement costs would decline by several hundred million dollars per year as the state absented itself from the business of anti-pot enforcement. (Altered State, 2010) From a strictly monetary point of view, it is in a countrys, and a tax-payers best interest to legalize the drug. Another benefit of legalizing Marijuana is safer drug practices. By controlling the market, the countrys government would be able to keep marijuana growth safe, and free from other chemicals and drugs that marijuana is often laced with when purchased illegally. Private growers are completely off the regulatory radar and accountable to no one (Blunt Trauma, 2012). Legalizing marijuana would also help clear the fog of stigma that surrounds it. Often marijuana users today are forced to associate with criminals and drug addicts because they have to buy from a dealer who also sells harder drugs. This culture of drug usage is poisonous, and can expose people to excess amounts of danger from criminal organizations. This is largely why society views marijuana usage in a negative light. People often associate marijuana with cocaine, crystal meth and heroin because of it. If marijuana usage were regulated federally, it would have absolutely no connection to hard drugs, and it would no longer be associated with criminal organizations and the communities that result from their culture. North American perception of marijuana has polluted societys understanding of the simple effects of the plant. It is time to eradicate ignorance, and encourage open knowledge and learning about the substance. The United States has started to pass laws legalizing marijuana in two of its states already, and has now begun to receive positive feedback form its communities. Tens of

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thousands of people die directly as a result of our funding to Mexican drug cartels. Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted each year. People lose their jobs, their property, and their freedom for nothing more than possessing a single joint or growing some marijuana plants. Every year that the Canadian government refuses to legalize recreational marijuana usage, they potentially lose millions of dollars that would have been gained from selling it. Alcohol Prohibition made a lot more sense than marijuana prohibition does today and it, too, was a disaster. (AN END TO Marijuana Prohibition) I argue that not only is it blatantly illogical to criminalize marijuana, but I believe that it is our duty to legalize and control it.

- Franklin P. Adams of the New York World neatly summed up his opinion regarding alcohol prohibition this way: Prohibition is an awful flop. We like it. It cant stop what its meant to stop. We like it. Its left a trail of graft and slime It dont prohibit worth a dime Its filled our land with vice and crime, Nevertheless, were for it. Two years later, federal alcohol Prohibition was history

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Annotated Bibliography

Campbell, G. (2012). Blunt Trauma. New Republic, 243(12), 4-5. This article explores how the drug war over marijuana has impacted not only the United States, but Mexico as well. It looks into how drug smuggling parallels the blood diamond conflict. The author unpacks medical marijuana laws in the US, and how they can be both detrimental and beneficial to human life Altered State. (2010). Nation, 291(26), 17-22. This article looks into what it would look like if Marijuana growing and smoking was legal in California. It recaps what legal battles have been fought from both sides. It also explores how the state would be impacted post legalization. Aggarwal SK, Carter GT, Sullivan MD, ZumBrunnen C, Morrill R, Mayer JD. (2009) Medicinal use of cannabis in the United States: historical perspectives, current trends, and future directions. J Opioid Manag, 5(3): 15368. This in depth article explores all of the effects that marijuana has on people. It lists both positive and negative effects from an unbiased position. Nadelman, E. A. (2004). An End to Marijuana Prohibition. (Cover story). National Review, 56(13), 28-33. This article parallels marijuanas criminalization with that of prohibition, and how negatively it has affected North American culture and prisons. It proposes that the criminalization of marijuana has had a profoundly negative effect on the American economy, and that the sooner it is legalized, the sooner our economy will recover. It also explores how society has been brainwashed to believe that the drug is far worse than it actually is. Medical marijuana and the mind. (2010). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 26(10), 1-3. This article approaches the effects of marijuana on adults from a non-biased point of view. It chronicles all of the ways that the drug can treat various illnesses and diseases in hopes to clear some of the fog that society as created around the drug.