We've Got to Legalize It

Legalize?


Isn't It Time We Legalize?


By Theo Haddad and
Chris Marvin

Staff Writer and Senior Editor

"Marijuana is both Oregon's largest agricultural crop and the largest industry in the state. We estimate that the legal sales of marijuana in our liquor stores will generate $500 million dollars in profit annually. This amounts to 20% of state revenue. We direct 65% of the profits to fund state primary and secondary education, 30% to fund higher education so that tuition fees may be lowered, 4% to fund drug treatment programs and 1% to fund a drug education program in schools."

From The Pay for Schools by Regulating Cannabis sponsors of the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act of 1997.

Introspective drug use may seem to be an oxymoron. But many believe that drugs actually let us know ourselves a little better. When we trip out on acid, or bug out on shrooms, we find ourselves looking at a person we aren't sure we really know. It's not that we don't know the person in the mirror, it's just that we can't ever remember looking like that before. How to explain the strange expressions and feelings which trounce across the average casual user's persona? It must be that drugs have somehow allowed us to know ourselves in a startlingly new light. In a generation where most teens can't remember all the presidents of the United States, but can recite the characters and plot developments of Beverly Hills with the greatest of ease, there is a tendency to feel lost, disaffected and afraid. With more enthusiasm than the last few generations we have increasingly turned to drugs to locate our inner selves. That part of us that we feel is missing. The part that fled when we realized Luke was Darth's son and the Dukes of Hazard was racist. So now we look around and wonder why it is that a large group of primarily white men decided that this soul searching process most Americans cling to as a rite of passage from the callow abyss of youth into the wide open middle ground of enlightenment is illegal.

The man who answered the question, "do you where boxers or briefs?", the first president of the twentieth century to ever openly admit to smoking up, the man who helped MTV's Rock the Vote emerge as a legitimate voting constituency, has now appointed General Barry McCaffrey to lead us in the war on drugs. We ask ourselves where we went wrong with this man, blindly trusting him to 'do the right thing' like Spike Lee taught us. The Man has decided that "he needs all of us" to help combat drugs here and abroad. As a responsible American, I find it necessary to inform him and the rest of the population on the history of a ridiculous and asinine movement known as Marijuana Recriminalization.

The history of the criminalization of marijuana in America dates to the early part of this century. In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established, headed by Harry Anslinger. Anslinger moved for the immediate criminalization of marijuana with the Marijuana Tax Bill, which he was able to railroad through congress by not allowing any pro-hemp and marijuana farmers, doctors or scientists testify. Thus, through the actions of one man the hemp industry was basically shut down until the 1940s when, during World War II it became necessary to once again grow the herb because the supply was cut off from the Phillipines.

Before this time, both the use and production of marijuana were more or less unregulated. Throughout the 19th century, marijuana was perscribed more than any other drug besides opium for the relief of pain, including childbirth, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis and glaucoma. The term legal tender even implied that hemp, a crop which was a required staple on farms for generations -- since George Washington, in fact, was an accepted means of payment for taxes.

Drugs are a part of American life. As teenagers, at least, most of us have been introduced to drugs or drug use. American college life now is partially centered on a drug sub-culture. After classes, come 3:00, the halls fill with the familiar music of the masters, like Peter Tosh, and the Grateful Dead. The sweet smell of pungent herb begins to permeate my dorm, as numerous bongs fire down and kids smoke up. On the West Coast, the sub-culture has taken a stronger turn now more than ever towards legitimacy. With decriminalization in nearby British Colombia, Canada, cities like Vancouver and Seattle have become meccas for drug enthusiasts. More often than not, smoking pot is not frowned upon. It is an accepted part of many people's lives-- a lifestyle that clashes deeply with today's media-hyped conception of pop culture.

Whether it's the Navajo Indians with their peyote, the Chinese and British with their opium, the Aztecs with coca leaves, or the Americans with their pot, drugs indeed have made a niche for themselves throughout the cultures of the world. Indeed, as man has walked through history with drugs at his side, it seems almost foolish for us not to wonder why we have criminalized a behavior that many might argue comes naturally to us. This is the situation we find ourselves in today. America has consistently denied the legalization of drugs, but has never really considered necessity and purpose of our actions, or lack therof.

Many drugs have been criticized. So-called 'soft drugs' like marijuana have received a stigma because of the actions of a relative few, small minded individuals.

Before mentioning that both Bill Clinton and Al Gore smoked their fair share of pot, it is important to note that not many Americans are interested in aiding the government in its crazed struggle against our civil rights. Americans are beginning to realize the legacy of the drug war at home, and what they're seeing is not a pretty picture.

Criminal mandatory minimum sentences for petty drug possesion in the US now outweigh the punishment for serious crimes. The sentence for victimless crime of possesion or use of LSD, for example, is stiffer than that of assault with a deadly weapon in most states. Possesion of a small amount of marijuana can, in some instances be considered a felony.

Living in Hartford, the decay and degeneracy of the inner cities of America is an all too apparent phenomena. Pimps, pushers, hookers, abandoned houses, gun fire: you name it, you don't have to go far to find it. What is the cause of this terrible decline of a city that used to be considered one of the economic and cultural centers of America? The futility of the drug war has a lot to do with it.


Drugs are not being eradicated by the absurd notion of prohibiting drugs. Drugs are more available and wide spread than ever before. More people are doing them, and more money is flowing into this already astronomically lucrative business. If you can't get drugs as easy as you can get ice cream, then you must be living under a rock. The endemic prevalence of drugs throughout America is indicative of the complete and utter failure of the drug war. America's war on drugs has done more harm than good. In fact, it becomes difficult to think of anything positive that has come from this blockhead mentality.

Virtually all the crime over-spilling from our cities is drug related. All the underground mobs and gangs who participate in illegal activities are invariably invested in the drug market. It is a billion dollar industry that the American government gets no cut out of (as far as we know), and looks foolish trying to combat. The drug war costs millions of dollars and is not working. It has unjustly targeted black males to the point that one out of every three are arrested on drug related charges at one time in their lives.

Our prisons are filled with many non- violent drug offenders. The inner cities have turned into war zones as organized crime competes for drug terrain, and the US government has done nothing to stop the use or spread of drugs in America. Isn't it about time we reappraise the war on drugs, and try to come up with a more creative solution? It seems like any other approach would be more fruitful than the pathetic scenario in which we find ourselves trapped.

Government regulated legalization seems like a viable option. To begin with, this would guarantee the quality of drugs. With safety assured, the amount of potentially deadly varieties of drugs would be limited severely. Incidents like the deaths of teens in Boston and Philadelphia because of 'dirty heroin' this past January would not be repeated. Secondly, it would virtually eliminate the lucrative black market. This would take a huge portion of organized crime's income. The drop in organized crime in cities like Amsterdam, where drugs are decriminalized is an example of this causal relationship. This reduction in income would leave organized crime lacking capital. Streets and neighborhoods would become safer. Weapons will not be so readily available because there will be no cash. Senseless violence and innocent deaths will decline. No promises for a return to the Ozzie and Harriet neighborhoods of the fifties, but things would get better. Thirdly, the drug related crimes of the city would subside and an actual opportunity for inner city resuscitation would appear. Crime will drop. If the market is controlled and limited, this is inevitable. Lastly, the government would make billions of dollars through minimal taxation. Taxing the sale of illicit drugs is a viable and extremely profitable method of raising capital. Such money could be used for education and important social programs. This is only an option, but an option worth considering, especially if the alternative is the present situation. We are experiencing out of control crime, and overcrowded prisons filled with petty drug related criminals. Our over extended programs have put a serious drain on our already over strained budget. Using the money from taxing drugs to pull the government out of it's multi-billion dollar debt is the most sound fiscal policy Congress never thought of.

It is the government's responsibility to try and protect its citizens as much as possible. And since prohibiting drugs has not worked nor will ever work, it's about time the government redirected their energy into an approach that actually produces results. Certainly, some drugs are indeed dangerous and addictive. But people who do these drugs are going to do them regardless of their legality. Legalization does not imply that drugs are no longer harmful. Rather legalization implies that drug users must take drugs responsibly if they are going to do them at all. It's about time the US government stops trying to baby-sit its citizens. Rather, if this is a true democracy, the government should respect the desire of those that wish to use drugs and provide the most educated, safest, and cleanest environment for users to exercise their rights.

Drugs are an ever-present factor in the lives of many people around the world. Other countries around the world have approached this problem with an open mind and positive results have emerged. America's stagnation on this issue is indicative of a deluded, close minded government that pathetically misses the target when it approaches the drug issue. As dangerous as some drugs are, they are not and never were the problem. It is people that use drugs-- like murderers that use knives who pose the threat to our society. Locking them up does not do away with the drug epedemic that we face. There are five pushers waiting to take the place of the big boss who was busted last week. The drugs will still be there. Do we ban knives because they can kill? No. We educate people about the dangers of knives, then sell them and hope that the best choice will be made for their function. Ultimately, people must be held accountable for their actions. It is the responsibility of the government to provide people with the opportunity to make the most educated decisions possible. It is not the governments' responsibility to play Father Knows Best. Serious consideration must be given to the drug issue before it is too late. Unfortunately, much of the damage has been done (to the inner cities, to the black male community, to the victims of crime, to those sitting in jail for drug related offense etc.) and the repercussions of decades of prohibition is and will continue to be felt until a more open minded approach is reached.

Here are some drug and marijuana related sites on the WWW(ed.)

© Trincoll Journal, 1996.