T
The420Guy
Guest
(U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Among those who are tried on drug-related
charges in Brooklyn's Supreme Court, Yitzchak Fried is not a regular.
Nevertheless, the 52-year-old Orthodox rabbi was brought before Judge
Plummer E. Lott on charges of selling seven ounces of marijuana to a
police informant. The rabbi, who has had a history of trying to help
heroin junkies quit, is seeking a mitigation of his sentence on grounds
that he was selling marijuana for medical purposes. The case is yet
another reminder of the need for reform of drug laws concerning
marijuana.
There are no compelling reasons not to legalize marijuana when other
substances such as cigarettes and alcohol are legal. Marijuana has not
been proven to be physically addictive, unlike nicotine, alcohol and
even caffeine; nor has it been proven to have any long-term harmful
effects. There has never been a recorded case of a fatal marijuana
overdose. In fact, the effects of marijuana are often comparable to
those of alcohol, but not as harmful as excessive, long-term alcohol
consumption. Claims that marijuana is a "gateway drug" -- one that
introduces users to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine -- are not
well-founded and are often based on easily misinterpreted statistics. In
fact, keeping marijuana illegal is the only reason the plant could be
considered a gateway drug, as users are introduced to drug dealers who
may have access to harder drugs.
Marijuana has also been found to have medicinal value. It is used as an
anti-nauseant for cancer and AIDS patients and to relieve intraocular
pressure in glaucoma patients, as well as to treat people suffering from
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, paraplegia and quadriplegia. But despite
the fact that it helps alleviate these patients' suffering, most states
outlaw medicinal use. It is extremely unfair to punish the sick for
therapeutic use of a drug that should not be illegal in the first place.
Legalizing marijuana would alleviate some of the risks involved with its
unregulated use. Legalization would greatly decrease the likelihood that
people will accidentally use marijuana laced with more harmful
substances and make it less accessible to young children or teenagers.
It is often easier for adolescents to get marijuana than it is for them
to buy beer, because buying alcohol requires someone over 21 years of
age, while marijuana, which is illegal and therefore unregulated, has no
such barriers to teenage use.
Marijuana use is a matter of personal choice; since it is less harmful
than alcohol or cigarettes, the government should not interfere when
adults choose to use it. Although it should be kept out of the hands of
young people, this is also true of legal drugs. Legalizing marijuana
would eliminate many of the problems associated with its use, such as
its appeal and accessibility to minors and its unfairly severe legal
penalties. As long as marijuana remains illegal, these problems will
persist. Ending the prohibition of marijuana is the only solution.
Newshawk: M & M Family
Pubdate: Thu, 08 Mar 2001
Source: Michigan Daily (MI)
Copyright: 2001 The Michigan Daily
Contact: daily.letters@umich.edu
Address: 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327
Website: The Michigan Daily
charges in Brooklyn's Supreme Court, Yitzchak Fried is not a regular.
Nevertheless, the 52-year-old Orthodox rabbi was brought before Judge
Plummer E. Lott on charges of selling seven ounces of marijuana to a
police informant. The rabbi, who has had a history of trying to help
heroin junkies quit, is seeking a mitigation of his sentence on grounds
that he was selling marijuana for medical purposes. The case is yet
another reminder of the need for reform of drug laws concerning
marijuana.
There are no compelling reasons not to legalize marijuana when other
substances such as cigarettes and alcohol are legal. Marijuana has not
been proven to be physically addictive, unlike nicotine, alcohol and
even caffeine; nor has it been proven to have any long-term harmful
effects. There has never been a recorded case of a fatal marijuana
overdose. In fact, the effects of marijuana are often comparable to
those of alcohol, but not as harmful as excessive, long-term alcohol
consumption. Claims that marijuana is a "gateway drug" -- one that
introduces users to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine -- are not
well-founded and are often based on easily misinterpreted statistics. In
fact, keeping marijuana illegal is the only reason the plant could be
considered a gateway drug, as users are introduced to drug dealers who
may have access to harder drugs.
Marijuana has also been found to have medicinal value. It is used as an
anti-nauseant for cancer and AIDS patients and to relieve intraocular
pressure in glaucoma patients, as well as to treat people suffering from
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, paraplegia and quadriplegia. But despite
the fact that it helps alleviate these patients' suffering, most states
outlaw medicinal use. It is extremely unfair to punish the sick for
therapeutic use of a drug that should not be illegal in the first place.
Legalizing marijuana would alleviate some of the risks involved with its
unregulated use. Legalization would greatly decrease the likelihood that
people will accidentally use marijuana laced with more harmful
substances and make it less accessible to young children or teenagers.
It is often easier for adolescents to get marijuana than it is for them
to buy beer, because buying alcohol requires someone over 21 years of
age, while marijuana, which is illegal and therefore unregulated, has no
such barriers to teenage use.
Marijuana use is a matter of personal choice; since it is less harmful
than alcohol or cigarettes, the government should not interfere when
adults choose to use it. Although it should be kept out of the hands of
young people, this is also true of legal drugs. Legalizing marijuana
would eliminate many of the problems associated with its use, such as
its appeal and accessibility to minors and its unfairly severe legal
penalties. As long as marijuana remains illegal, these problems will
persist. Ending the prohibition of marijuana is the only solution.
Newshawk: M & M Family
Pubdate: Thu, 08 Mar 2001
Source: Michigan Daily (MI)
Copyright: 2001 The Michigan Daily
Contact: daily.letters@umich.edu
Address: 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327
Website: The Michigan Daily
