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This Issue About Us |
Marijuana: Legal or Not?Marijuana decriminalization is a subject that can arouse many an emotion. For some, it sends waves of joy and rays of hope into their life while for others, the topic can enrage and infuriate. Why is this? Everyone has been brought up different and everyone has different experiences. As we all know, parents and adults can play a crucial role in shaping how kids view certain substances. I remember as a young lad and even now, seeing anti-cannabis commercials and what they preached; “be above the influence” or “if you smoke marijuana, you kill” (no joke, look up old 1920s commercials). The damage on the young, impressionable minds is quite absurd; I mean, why grossly distort facts like that? Whether it is known to you or not, marijuana has been proved time and time again by scientists and college studies that use does not kill brain cells, a common misconception. For those of you whose facts are still murky, let me explain (with the help of the University of Utah’s findings) what actually happens when you “hit the ganja.” You see, “before marijuana enters the body, inhibitory neurotransmitters are active in the synapse (the gap between nerve cells in brain). These neurotransmitters inhibit dopamine (regulate movement, emotion, motivation and the feeling of pleasure) from being released. When activated by the body’s own native cannabinoid (called anandamine), cannabinoid receptors turn off the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Without inhibition, dopamine can be released. When THC (the active chemical in marijuana) enters the synapse, it mimics anandamine and binds to cannabinoid receptors. Inhibition is “turned off” (blocked by the THC) and dopamine is allowed to squirt into the synapse. Anandamine is known to be involved in removing unnecessary short-term memories as well as slowing down movement, making us feel calm and relaxed. Unlike THC, anandamine breaks down very quickly in the body. That explains why anandamine doesn’t produce a perpetual natural “high”.” (http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction/drugs/mouse.cfm) Since the United States deemed this harmless plant illegal in 1937, we as a society and even on a global scale have seen that marijuana has increased in its popularity. Today, in the midst of its prohibition we can see that marijuana is the third most widely used “recreational drug” (behind alcohol and tobacco) in the United States. Our government needs to see that this prohibition has failed, just as alcohol’s ban from 1920-1933 did; it didn’t work then with booze and it isn’t working now with weed. Instead of continuing to pump money into enforcing these draconian laws, society needs to look at which drugs are the real threat here. Marijuana users aren’t the perpetrators who hold massive robberies or hijack trains, no, those guilty of those crimes are under the influence of much heavier drugs such as PCP or crystal meth. The only thing that pot smokers are guilty of is possessing the plant. As sad as it is to see, the main activists who stood for the complete decriminalization of our beloved plant have not made it to the final stages of the presidential election, but there is still hope. The voice of the masses can have a great impact in swaying certain politicians, so let us use that undeniable, booming voice. Already, certain states that have laws that seek to bring about marijuana reform have been making progress and at this stage of the game, that is a great sign. Organizations such as N.O.R.M.L. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) have been working with state and local politicians to aid in these dreams of decriminalization in an attempt to make them a reality. Let us stop stocking our jails with people who smoke marijuana and put the real threat behind bars, the child molesters and crack dealers, those are the real menaces to society. Time and time again “Anti-Drug” activists spread lies to fuel those who oppose its legalization. For example, John Walters (Director of National Drug Control Policy) stated in a 2003 Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) press release that: “Marijuana affects … many of the skills required for safe driving. … These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana.” Wow, that is quite the amount of time to be feeling the effects of weed. Good call! These current laws only affect people who smoke pot and that isn’t everyone. So, my question to you, the reader of this fine article, is as follows: if a law (such as marijuana legalization) is put on the board to vote for or against, why shoot it down? If it doesn’t affect you in any way/shape/form, vote to pass it! Back when I was a senior in high school, my sociology class held a debate within the room about this same topic and the findings were not shocking. More than three quarters of the class stood for its decriminalization and within the kids who voted for it, half of them just didn’t care because it didn’t affect them. So vote for it! Be informed and get active (for those of us who are submerged in the cannabis lifestyle) and for heaven’s sake, get informed. If some of these facts you read today came across as astonishing, check it out! The “top dogs” who orchestrate the anti-marijuana propaganda want you to think that when you smoke pot you forget everything or sit on the steps of your apartment, never leaving. Such rubbish this is, so let us fix what our past politicians have done wrong, free marijuana, a harmless plant, from the grips of oppression once and for all; vote for its decriminalization. Check out this wonderful site: www.norml.org. Do your research, and be above corporate and government influence; decide for yourself. Lou Smith |
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