by Jennifer Anderson
Considerable time and expense has been used to educate America's young to not use drugs. Yet now there is a great possibility that non medical use of marijuana will be decriminalized. Use of Marijuana has already become so common in American culture that the public perception of using Marijuana seems to be that it is benign or a safe drug to use.
Like the proverbial adage that it is impossible to compare apples to oranges as they are two very different fruits, it is also impossible to compare recreational marijuana use to casual consumption of alcohol as they are two very different drugs. Marijuana does not have more pleasant side effects then alcohol it just has different side effects then alcohol. It is not any safer to drive high then it is to drive while drunk.
Sure there are lots of "good people" who use or have used marijuana. However if we stop and ask ourselves would we want our babysitters or surgeons to use marijuana on a casual basis the answer would be no. I am sure most people also wouldn't want their mother, their bus driver, or their kids to use marijuana on a regular basis. For myself, I know I definitely wouldn't want the mother of my grandchildren to use marijuana during pregnancy.
A large segment of the population is currently able to avoid use of marijuana because it is illegal. When that changes our culture will suffer because so many more people will be using drugs and will be unable to resist the drug life style. Right about now I am wondering what part of the advertising campaign of "Just Say No" that our leaders, or politicians and our voters do not understand.
I don't think that many more people will be using MJ myself. I think, though, that there will be fewer people in jail. And since our country jails more of its citizens than any other, I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. I am in favor of decriminalizing it but not necessarily making it as easy to purchase as a cigarette. It should be heavily taxed.
ReplyDeleteThe news makes it sound like it is a done deal weather we want it or not! I just hate to think of future generations maybe sitting at Sunday dinner and asking someone to pass the pot because they want to sprinkle some on their mashed potatoes. And what about others getting high from it from secondhand smoke? How will that be controlled?
ReplyDeleteI think it's all a slippery slope - but people are going to smoke it - that much has been made clear for years. Why NOT tax the crap out of it, have some kind of controls over it - and look at it that way? I don't sprinkle alcohol on my mashed potatoes. And the whole 2nd hand smoke debate would be the same as cigarettes. Substitute "alcohol" in that sentence where you used pot.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Jen! Nice to find ya through Square Corner. Matty
ReplyDelete