Yes

by Richard Serra

Created on: March 08, 2010   Last Updated: March 09, 2010

If there were such a way to curb drug abuse, I'm sure we would have found it by now. In the 30's, the government tried everything to scare people into thinking that even the most harmless drug, marijuana, was a killer drug, as well as the most addictive. No matter what kind of propaganda that was used, it still did not decrease demand for it, as well as other hard drugs.

It appears that when people are given a choice as to whether or not they can do something, they have a more relaxed attitude about trying something that once was restricted, and now approved by the government. The attraction for doing something that isn't allowed, goes all the way back to Adam and Eve.

It was because of the temptation to find out why they were not permitted to eat the so-called apple that got them into trouble. If there were no restrictions, the temptation would have never been there, and consequently, they wouldn't have broken one of Gods rules. Was this really the case? We weren't there, so we have to go by what has been written.

In the case of drugs, there are so many who do break the law, and this brings the curiosity level to another level for those who never did drugs. There hasn't been enough via educating our young people about the real effects hard drugs have on their system, and they do not know until it's too late.

Since marijuana and all the myths about it's danger have been proved wrong, and that it actually has a lot of medicinal use, it should be removed from the list of dangerous drugs, legalized, and rules should be followed as to how, or who should be able to purchase it legally. Whisky kills hundreds of thousands each year, while cigarettes kill millions each year. Yet these two killers are legal.

Just because it's legal, it doesn't mean everyone is going to go out and smoke cigarettes, or drink themselves into a stupor. It would be the same with marijuana. Given a choice, most who never smoked, probably will never try it. Those who have, and obtained it illegally, always faced criminal charges, and wouldn't stop regardless of the laws.

By legalizing marijuana, we save on the costs of incarcerating otherwise innocent people, as well as not tying up the court system. Taxing the drug heavily, the government would rake in billions annually to build rehab centers for treating those who are addicted to hard drugs.

The money saved each year combating it's import, or law enforcement time used to pounce on domestic growers, could be better used to help combat the import of hard drugs.

All those who have publicly proclaimed marijuana as the gateway to hard drugs, couldn't be further from the truth. It is not "physically" addictive, nor has anyone overdosed on the drug.

If there was a debate about the subject, you would find those who oppose the drug, provide all kinds of reasons for it not to be legalized. If I were in the debate, I would simply ask the question, "where did you personally obtain anything factual to substantiate your claims?" "What research have you done for you to arrive at such a decision that it shouldn't be legalized?"

All the while, some of those who don't want to see it legalized, smoke, drink, take addictive prescription drugs, and never do anything via research, except to voice their uneducated opinion.

Ask a user who has smoked 5 to 10 joints a day for over 30 years if he or she has had any real health problems as a result. Can the same be said of those who smoke tobacco, or drink alcohol?

Everything said that is negative about the drug, is true to a point when it comes to killing brain cells, loss of memory, impairs driving etc. However, they fail to tell you that the effects are only temporary, and only for the time you are under the influence, and then all is normal again.

Education is one of the key ways for which to curtail some of the abuse, but by allowing more time and money derived from the legalization of marijuana, we can have a harder impact on the import of all other drugs that are abused.

Nothing else has worked in the past, and it's time to catch up with some of the other countries that do not have as much abuse and drug related crimes, by doing something different, and that is making the least harmful drug legal. Just think about the legal drugs that are advertised on TV, and then listen to the numerous side effects, in some cases, including death.

It's obvious the pharmacuitical companies would go into a tail spin if it were legalized, because it's medicianal benefits, with virtually no health side effects, would impact their bottom line, and it is all about the money isn't it?

Learn more about this author, Richard Serra.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.