To Legalize Marijuana or Not

It's one of those big questions, should marijuana be able to land people in jail or should it be legalized and leave the world open to more drugs?

This isn't the easiest thing to explain, because, much like my stance on abortion, I see both sides of the fence and my reasoning is not right there in the rhetoric. I do not condone the use of marijuana or the use of alcohol or the use of cigarettes, but I do not think any of these things should be illegal. One hit of marijuana will not kill anyone. The same cannot be said of other drugs. Weed is just one of those drugs that, since it does affect a person's mood, is seen as a vice that is not legal so it shouldn't be.

I personally want to see marijuana legalized just because of the sheer amount of people who end up receiving jail time from possession or growing or selling it. As a country, we do not have the prison space or tax payer money available to keep arresting and locking up low level stoners.

Just like cigarettes or alcohol, if weed is legalized, there can be government regulations in place. There can be a marijuana age of 18 (like with cigarettes) or 21 (like with alcohol) or something else to impede the spread of the use.

Using marijuana, like any other smoke, can cause cancer just like cigarettes. Alcohol, among other substances can also negatively effect health, but there should be a measure of equality on the books when it comes to all rulings, including drugs.

Keeping weed illegal and allowing equally harmful and abused drugs legal is the kind of inequality that made it illegal for certain groups of people (i.e. Women, African Americans, the Mexicans who live in Arizona) to obtain and maintain their rights as citizens. Sure, it is not as drastic of an issue since Marijuana is not going to start marching through the streets demanding equal standing with Tobacco. This is, however, if not a matter of the freedom to do what many are doing already but a matter of the government picking and choosing what laws do and do not apply to.

Either legalize marijuana or ban alcohol and cigarettes, too. (And anyone who remembers the 1920's knows how well the latter will turn out.)

Vive.