Much has been in the news lately about the movement to legalize marijuana. Proponents will tout the many beneficial uses of the drug as well as financial windfall for cash strapped states while opponents feel it will lead our youth toward harder drugs. In reality, legalizing pot would only serve as just another way for our government to make money off of another American vice while giving us another means to escape the unhappiness that pervades this country.
Marijuana has been part of the American culture long enough to where it is not going to go away nor is it going to lead people to harder drugs who would not otherwise have done so.
As someone who last smoked pot thirty years ago, it seems to me the concern should not be over whether or not to legalize the drug but rather over why so many people in our country feel the need to turn to so many other options to numb themselves from the pain of their lives. Americans rely on alcohol, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, energy drinks, and caffeine to get themselves through their days far more so than they do on harder drugs. A pot head is no more dangerous than someone loaded on Valium, drunk on tequila, or doped up on cough syrup but somehow we think marijuana will turn everyone into crack heads or worse. There seems to be enough medical evidence to support the use of marijuana for a slew of maladies so there is no reason Americans should not have it as a choice over the equally harmful drugs prescribed by their doctors.
It does not concern us that beer is cheaper to buy than bottled water and the market for highly caffeinated drinks has never been better. People are living longer thanks to advances in medicine but with their increased years come increased pain. If smoking a joint helps ease the pain as well or better than a narcotic prescribed by a doctor, what’s the problem? We fear our children will gain access to marijuana and be lead to harder drugs but don’t give a second thought about the drugs they can get hold of from our medicine cabinets. We also do not hesitate to put them on meds for their anxiety, depression, or hyperactivity because as parents, we have become too busy with our lives to put in the time to parent the children we bring into this world.
It’s not even a question of whether or not we need to add another legal drug into our culture that already has access to plenty of others. The real question should be are we willing to part with the ones that are currently legal and no more harmful or beneficial than marijuana?
We get angry inside when we see someone purchasing cigarettes and booze with their food stamps but don’t give a second thought to the person who does the same with cash. While it would be nice if the person on welfare was gainfully employed and buying decent food for their screaming child, it does not keep the hard working, sleep deprived American from getting jacked up at Starbucks in the morning and turning to Ambien in the evening. We are grateful when a parent slips their kid some NyQuil when they board a plane and who cares if someone tosses back a few shots of tequila after a day of work? We even ask our doctors for a little something to take the edge off our pain because at least that’s not as bad as turning to a local dealer or growing a few plants of our own in the back yard.
Americans should be more concerned with the rampant use of legal drugs than over whether or not there is any danger to adding marijuana to the list. Marijuana is no more dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol, prescription drugs or over the counter drugs and people are hypocrites to speak out against the use of one while as a nation we over indulge in the others. Maybe, before we decide against legalizing marijuana, we should consider banning our legal drugs.
Marijuana has been part of the American culture long enough to where it is not going to go away nor is it going to lead people to harder drugs who would not otherwise have done so.
As someone who last smoked pot thirty years ago, it seems to me the concern should not be over whether or not to legalize the drug but rather over why so many people in our country feel the need to turn to so many other options to numb themselves from the pain of their lives. Americans rely on alcohol, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, energy drinks, and caffeine to get themselves through their days far more so than they do on harder drugs. A pot head is no more dangerous than someone loaded on Valium, drunk on tequila, or doped up on cough syrup but somehow we think marijuana will turn everyone into crack heads or worse. There seems to be enough medical evidence to support the use of marijuana for a slew of maladies so there is no reason Americans should not have it as a choice over the equally harmful drugs prescribed by their doctors.
It does not concern us that beer is cheaper to buy than bottled water and the market for highly caffeinated drinks has never been better. People are living longer thanks to advances in medicine but with their increased years come increased pain. If smoking a joint helps ease the pain as well or better than a narcotic prescribed by a doctor, what’s the problem? We fear our children will gain access to marijuana and be lead to harder drugs but don’t give a second thought about the drugs they can get hold of from our medicine cabinets. We also do not hesitate to put them on meds for their anxiety, depression, or hyperactivity because as parents, we have become too busy with our lives to put in the time to parent the children we bring into this world.
It’s not even a question of whether or not we need to add another legal drug into our culture that already has access to plenty of others. The real question should be are we willing to part with the ones that are currently legal and no more harmful or beneficial than marijuana?
We get angry inside when we see someone purchasing cigarettes and booze with their food stamps but don’t give a second thought to the person who does the same with cash. While it would be nice if the person on welfare was gainfully employed and buying decent food for their screaming child, it does not keep the hard working, sleep deprived American from getting jacked up at Starbucks in the morning and turning to Ambien in the evening. We are grateful when a parent slips their kid some NyQuil when they board a plane and who cares if someone tosses back a few shots of tequila after a day of work? We even ask our doctors for a little something to take the edge off our pain because at least that’s not as bad as turning to a local dealer or growing a few plants of our own in the back yard.
Americans should be more concerned with the rampant use of legal drugs than over whether or not there is any danger to adding marijuana to the list. Marijuana is no more dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol, prescription drugs or over the counter drugs and people are hypocrites to speak out against the use of one while as a nation we over indulge in the others. Maybe, before we decide against legalizing marijuana, we should consider banning our legal drugs.
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