March 29th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Opinion
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It is time to listen to Barney Frank. Marijuana has been illegal in the United States for 71 years now, and few if any positive benefits have come from marijuana prohibition. A little over a week ago Barney Frank declared that he would be introducing a bill to congress to decriminalize marijuana on a national level. Below are some points I made in an earlier post on what the 5 main arguments are for decriminalizing marijuana.
Marijuana Is A Non-Toxic Medicine – It is undisputed among the medical community that marijuana contains medicinal value to patients of multiple degenerative illnesses, and the American College Of Physicians (ACP) told the government just last month to back off states that have approved medical marijuana, as well as demanding further research be done. (ACP Endorsement)
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March 25th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: Medical Marijuana, Opinion
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Marijuana Is A Non-Toxic Medicine – It is undisputed among the medical community that marijuana contains medicinal value to patients of multiple degenerative illnesses, and the American College Of Physicians (ACP) told the government just last month to back off states that have approved medical marijuana, as well as demanding further research be done. (ACP Endorsement)
Marijuana For The Economy – Although marijuana and hemp are fundamentally different, both are currently illegal to cultivate and both hold much potential for our struggling economy. Hemp is a great alternative to plastics and textiles in many industries, as well as having a high yield-per-acre for ethanol production (more than corn). Marijuana, on the other hand, is the biggest cash crop in the United States that is not taxed. We lose an estimated $42 billion a year (article) to marijuana prohibition alone, with $10 billion going to law enforcement and $32 billion in lost tax revenue (don’t be surprised to see double that number to double in the case of legalization). At a time our economy is struggling, we need all the new streams of revenue we can get.
Marijuana Prohibition Is Destroying Lives – Unlike the Drug Czar John Walters’ anti-marijuana commercials tells you it is marijuana prohibition that is destroying lives. In 2006 almost 800,000 people were arrested on marijuana related charges, with about 730,00 being for mere possession. Due to limited funding, pro-legalization organizations don’t have the money to air ads on the story of Will Foster, Weldon Angelos, or any of the other victims on the marijuana policy project’s victims page.
The People Want It – In the Barney Frank article referenced above, even Frank acknowledges that politicians are way behind the public in their support for marijuana. I suggest anyone that is interested in the statistics of support for decriminalization check out this article. 47% Of Americans admit to trying marijuana at least once, 80% support its medical use, and 76% support decriminalization for personal use.
Civil Liberties – There seems to be something fundamentally wrong and unconstitutional about the government regulating drugs in the first place. At the very least, many, including US Rep. Barney Franks feel that the matter should be left up to the states (article). Frank also made a comment on the show Real Time about how many believe that decriminalizing or legalizing pot would be sending the message of “pot is ok” to children. He asked if you would rather send them the message “we are hypocrites”.
In conclusion, I hope you will at least rethink your position on marijuana, and read some of the sources I have provided. , From protecting our civil rights, to easing the pain of an aids patient, or saving an 18 year old kid from getting rejected for financial aid, there are many benefits that both decriminalization and legalization will bring. The only way the laws will change is through education and taking action. To e-mail your district US Rep. in support of Barney Franks planned legislation you can contact them through a quick and easy e-mail form here.
February 4th, 2008 by Peter Bonginelli
filed under: News
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New studies have shown that the criminalization of marijuana costs the government $42 billion dollars a year in lost tax revenues. Approximately $11 billion is spent each year prosecuting and arresting marijuana users (800,000 arrests in 2006). On top of that, the United States misses out on the $113 billion cannabis market losing an estimated $30 billion in tax money that would come from the 30 million pounds sold annually in the United States. Instead this money is currently circulated in the black market, funding projects potentially harmful to our communities.
How long is it going to take the United States government to smarten up? We need tax revenues now more than ever, with a record deficit, and instead of legalizing a substance less harmful than alcohol and consumed illegally by millions of Americans every year, we continue to prosecute individuals for Marijuana use and allow the black market to run the drug trade. It is time to call it quits with prohibition, it didnt work in the 1920s and it is not working now. Every statistic the Bush administration published about a decrease in pot use is junk, they even tried to value pot at over $100 a gram (if you smoke pot you’ll be laughing with me right now).
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