420 Warrior
Well-Known Member
It is no surprise that former US Drug Czar William Bennett takes issue with Pat Robertson's recent call to end the criminalization of cannabis and replace it with a policy of legalization and regulation ("Pat Robertson is wrong about marijuana," March 14, 2012). Nonetheless, Bennett's concerns – that legalizing marijuana for adults would simultaneously allow for "open and unrestricted drug use" by all, and that the plant's perceived social costs would outweigh any economic benefits reaped by regulation – are worth addressing.
Bennett's former charge can be dismissed outright. No one is suggesting that marijuana be legalized without proper regulations – including restrictions regarding who can legally produce pot, distribute it, and consume it. By contrast, under America's present prohibition, no such controls exist – which is why teens today claim that they enjoy easier access to illicit cannabis than they do legal alcohol or cigarettes.
Bennett's latter charge – that regulating cannabis would dramatically increase societal costs – deserves more critical analysis. Bennett bases this allegation largely upon the premise that present taxes on alcohol and cigarettes fail to adequately pay for the social costs associated with these drugs' use and abuse. True enough and perhaps a persuasive argument if, in fact, one was debating whether to criminally prohibit the use of booze and cigarettes (a public policy option that Bennett, a one-time heavy consumer of both substances, would no doubt oppose, despite the drugs' heavy social toll.) Nevertheless, Bennett's premise is all but irrelevant to the marijuana legalization debate. Here's why:
Cannabis is safer than alcohol.
Alcohol is toxic to healthy cells and organs, a side effect that results directly in about 35,000 deaths in the United States annually from illnesses such as cirrhosis of the liver, ulcers, cancer and heart disease. Heavy alcohol consumption can depress the central nervous system – inducing unconsciousness, coma and death – and is strongly associated with increased risks of injury. According to US Centers for Disease Control, alcohol plays a role in about 41,000 fatal accidents a year and in the commission of about 1 million violent crimes annually. Worldwide, the statistics are even grimmer. Stated a February 2011 World Health Organization report, alcohol consumption causes a staggering four percent of all deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence.
By contrast, the active compounds in marijuana, known as cannabinoids, are relatively nontoxic to humans. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is incapable of causing a fatal overdose, and its use is inversely associated with aggression and injury. According to a just-published review in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, "A direct comparison of alcohol and cannabis showed that alcohol was considered to be more than twice as harmful as cannabis to users, and five times more harmful as cannabis to others (society). ... As there are few areas of harm that each drug can produce where cannabis scores are more [dangerous to health] than alcohol, we suggest that even if there were no legal impediment to cannabis use, it would be unlikely to be more harmful than alcohol."
Cannabis is far safer than tobacco.
According to a 2009 report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, health-related costs per user are eight times higher for drinkers than they are for those who use cannabis, and are more than 40 times higher for tobacco smokers. It states: "In terms of (health-related) costs per user: tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user."
A previous analysis commissioned by the World Health Organization agreed, stating, "On existing patterns of use, cannabis poses a much less serious public health problem than is currently posed by alcohol and tobacco in Western societies." So then why is the federal government so worried about adults consuming it in the privacy of their own home?
Some tax revenue is better than no tax revenue.
According to a 2007 George Mason University study, U.S. citizens each year spend about $113 billion on marijuana. Under prohibition, all of this spending is directed toward an underground economy and goes untaxed. That means state and local governments are presently collecting zero dollars to offset any existing societal and health costs related to recreational marijuana use. Therefore, the imposition of any retail tax or excise fee would be an improvement over the current situation.
In sum, Bennett's concerns regarding the potential health implications and social costs associated with cannabis do not validate the drug's continued criminalization. Just the opposite is true. As acknowledged by no less than Bennett himself, there are numerous adverse health consequences associated with alcohol, tobacco, and prescription pharmaceuticals — all of which are far more dangerous and costlier to society than cannabis — and it's precisely because of these consequences that these products are legally regulated and their use is restricted to particular consumers and specific settings. Similarly, a pragmatic regulatory framework allowing for the limited legal use cannabis by adults would best mitigate the potential health risks and societal costs associated with the its use and abuse.
News Hawk - 420 Warrior 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Opposing Views
Author: Paul Armentano
Contact: www.opposingviews.com/contact
Copyright: © 2008-2012 Opposing Views, Inc.
Website: www.opposingviews.com
Bennett's former charge can be dismissed outright. No one is suggesting that marijuana be legalized without proper regulations – including restrictions regarding who can legally produce pot, distribute it, and consume it. By contrast, under America's present prohibition, no such controls exist – which is why teens today claim that they enjoy easier access to illicit cannabis than they do legal alcohol or cigarettes.
Bennett's latter charge – that regulating cannabis would dramatically increase societal costs – deserves more critical analysis. Bennett bases this allegation largely upon the premise that present taxes on alcohol and cigarettes fail to adequately pay for the social costs associated with these drugs' use and abuse. True enough and perhaps a persuasive argument if, in fact, one was debating whether to criminally prohibit the use of booze and cigarettes (a public policy option that Bennett, a one-time heavy consumer of both substances, would no doubt oppose, despite the drugs' heavy social toll.) Nevertheless, Bennett's premise is all but irrelevant to the marijuana legalization debate. Here's why:
Cannabis is safer than alcohol.
Alcohol is toxic to healthy cells and organs, a side effect that results directly in about 35,000 deaths in the United States annually from illnesses such as cirrhosis of the liver, ulcers, cancer and heart disease. Heavy alcohol consumption can depress the central nervous system – inducing unconsciousness, coma and death – and is strongly associated with increased risks of injury. According to US Centers for Disease Control, alcohol plays a role in about 41,000 fatal accidents a year and in the commission of about 1 million violent crimes annually. Worldwide, the statistics are even grimmer. Stated a February 2011 World Health Organization report, alcohol consumption causes a staggering four percent of all deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence.
By contrast, the active compounds in marijuana, known as cannabinoids, are relatively nontoxic to humans. Unlike alcohol, marijuana is incapable of causing a fatal overdose, and its use is inversely associated with aggression and injury. According to a just-published review in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, "A direct comparison of alcohol and cannabis showed that alcohol was considered to be more than twice as harmful as cannabis to users, and five times more harmful as cannabis to others (society). ... As there are few areas of harm that each drug can produce where cannabis scores are more [dangerous to health] than alcohol, we suggest that even if there were no legal impediment to cannabis use, it would be unlikely to be more harmful than alcohol."
Cannabis is far safer than tobacco.
According to a 2009 report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, health-related costs per user are eight times higher for drinkers than they are for those who use cannabis, and are more than 40 times higher for tobacco smokers. It states: "In terms of (health-related) costs per user: tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user."
A previous analysis commissioned by the World Health Organization agreed, stating, "On existing patterns of use, cannabis poses a much less serious public health problem than is currently posed by alcohol and tobacco in Western societies." So then why is the federal government so worried about adults consuming it in the privacy of their own home?
Some tax revenue is better than no tax revenue.
According to a 2007 George Mason University study, U.S. citizens each year spend about $113 billion on marijuana. Under prohibition, all of this spending is directed toward an underground economy and goes untaxed. That means state and local governments are presently collecting zero dollars to offset any existing societal and health costs related to recreational marijuana use. Therefore, the imposition of any retail tax or excise fee would be an improvement over the current situation.
In sum, Bennett's concerns regarding the potential health implications and social costs associated with cannabis do not validate the drug's continued criminalization. Just the opposite is true. As acknowledged by no less than Bennett himself, there are numerous adverse health consequences associated with alcohol, tobacco, and prescription pharmaceuticals — all of which are far more dangerous and costlier to society than cannabis — and it's precisely because of these consequences that these products are legally regulated and their use is restricted to particular consumers and specific settings. Similarly, a pragmatic regulatory framework allowing for the limited legal use cannabis by adults would best mitigate the potential health risks and societal costs associated with the its use and abuse.
News Hawk - 420 Warrior 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Opposing Views
Author: Paul Armentano
Contact: www.opposingviews.com/contact
Copyright: © 2008-2012 Opposing Views, Inc.
Website: www.opposingviews.com
