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on the individual's usage. A 2004 report states that alcohol is detected more often in accident-involved drivers than cannabis. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that 39% of traffic related deaths are attributed to alcohol use and that 18% of driver deaths have other drugs used in combination with alcohol, most of which were repeat offenders. It would seem that the legal drugs are actually causing more adverse health effects than marijuana, and that the focus is often on the presence of the one substance rather than the actual cause of inebriation.

Social Change

The legislative machinery has been slowly turning to change the place marijuana has in current society. In 1997, Proposition 215 legalized marijuana in California for medicinal purposes. The Clinton administration made predictions of increased youth drug use, but according to the LA Daily News was proven wrong by a decrease in drug use between 1995 and 2003. Also, regulation for policing has been successful; marijuana drug arrests have not been affected even though the opposition to Proposition 215 claimed that legalization for medicinal purposes would open the door for its illegal use. Colorado, Nevada, and South Dakota had statewide initiatives on the 2006 ballots to decriminalize marijuana, especially in the medical context, which received 40-50% of positive votes. Eureka Springs, Arkansas passed a local law allowing for a summons rather than an arrest for marijuana possession. Similar citywide laws have been passed in Missoula, Montana and at least 110 communities in Massachusetts since 2002. Since California legalized medicinal marijuana more than 10 years ago, a few communities in that state have decriminalized possession. Other states with local medical marijuana laws include Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Michigan, and Washington. A 2004 poll of AARP members (age 50 and over) found that 72% felt marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes and 74% believe that it is addictive. A Gallup poll taken in the summer of 2006 of potential voters in Florida found that medicinal legalization was supported by 65% of the respondents and only opposed by 32%, which is reported to mirror national trends of thought. A downside to state initiatives though is the ability of the federal government to supercede the states' authority and prevent individuals from purchasing medicinal marijuana. This is exemplified by the Supreme Court ruling against a terminally ill woman in California in Ashcroft v. Raich in 2004. It seems the most states can do is decriminalize possession at this point.

Laws Open, or Close, Doors

As society alters its view of cannabis as a drug, the laws should reflect those alterations. As more positive uses for marijuana are discovered, they should be researched and defined for the benefit of the population. As of now, the laws stand in the way of truly understanding how beneficial cannabinoids, particularly those naturally occurring in marijuana, are to the human species. There is a potential to stop pain, cure disease, and solve other problems not even touched upon here. Yet, the issues surrounding marijuana legalization are clouded in ignorance, propaganda, and legislative status quo. The strict laws holding back citizens from exercising their free will of choosing what is best for their own health should be equal. There is no reasonable explanation for the legality of tobacco and alcohol while marijuana remains illegal, and vice versa.

Learn more about this author, Alicia M Prater PhD.
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