Puffing on a joint discussion

Although the New Hampshire State Senate recently doused water over the potential for legalizing lit marijuana cigarettes, there remains a heated debate nationwide over whether or not the drug should be as permissible as tobacco or alcohol. Both sides, pro and con, feature strong, persuasive arguments. The Equinox has decided to examine both views.

Pro: According to ABC News, medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states and the Obama Administration has decided not to prosecute individuals who use medicinal marijuana as long as they comply with state laws. But news site Oregon Live reported on April, 15 that employers could still terminate staff authorized under state law to use the drug medicinally by the ruling of the Oregon Supreme Court. Legalization would maintain not only the job of the worker in question, but also the depended maintenance of their health.

In a study conducted by CNBC from April 7-12, the majority of Americans, 44 percent, thought marijuana should have the same regulations as alcohol. Alcohol is a substance with a history of clear and dangerous addictions, while marijuana remains a narcotic with no addictive qualities. A drug used recreationally without harming others measured against a drink responsible for millions of drunk driving accidents and suicides nationwide is not a reasonable comparison. Preventing the demolition of public safety should be the priority of law enforcement, not the prohibition of a medically beneficial and socially benign drug.
According to The Marijuana Policy Project, close to $8 billion is spent on carrying out marijuana prohibition. If marijuana were to be legalized, the government could tax it, leading to revenue of up $6 billion. In this frail economy still recovering from a recession, the best interests of the country are always in question. Why pass up such a golden opportunity to save and produce capital? According to the Drug Policy Alliance Network, less than one percent of Americans smoke marijuana on a daily basis. The billions of dollars spent on restricting smoke inhalation similar to that of a tobacco cigarette should be put to better use than on such a miniscule statistic.

Con: Marijuana is almost an epidemic among college students. It seems like almost everyone has at least tried pot and there’s still a large number of people who smoke on a regular basis, but people don’t recognize the reparations. A study by the Harvard School of public health showed that nine out of ten students who use marijuana on a regular basis also participate in binge drinking and smoking cigarettes. These students are also more likely to commit criminal acts and do poorly in school.

There are many studies that say marijuana is not a gateway drug. This may be true, but smoking marijuana may open up a new world to a smoker. It’s a rare event when someone just starts doing a hard drug. Marijuana is perceived as safe but someone could experience a high and feel the need to experiment with Class B drugs. If marijuana were to be legalized, would it be less of a rebellion tool? Would kids try harder drugs earlier on?
Marijuana can also be worse than just smoking. There have been cases in Europe and the United States where a new a type of marijuana called grit weed has been found. Grit weed is a trick that dealers use to weigh down their product to add weight to the marijuana. They put things like ground up fiberglass and other toxins that make marijuana even worse for a person. If someone were to inhale grit weed, they would be inhaling fiberglass as well.