Monday, April 20, 2009

4/20

It only seems fitting that 4/20 should merit a marijuana policy post, especially since the issue has received very little coverage throughout the year on the Hitchhiker's Guide to National Affairs.

I'm not sure how many of you are regular readers of blogs outside of the class blog, but there's a wonderful writer out there named Andrew Sullivan, you might have noticed his blog listed in the Don Roll on the left side of your screen.

Anyways, Andrew, a longtime advocate of gay rights, and a gay man himself, has analogized the gay rights movement with that of the push for ending marijuana prohibition, a cause he also supports. The way he sees it, a deciding factor in the fight for equality among homosexuals was the decision made by many homosexuals to "come out of the closet" and show people that to be gay is not to be a freak, or a pervert, or what have you. Once people started realizing that homosexuals are just like everyone else, the movement for equality started gaining momentum.

So what does all this have to do with legalizing weed? Well, Mr. Sullivan has begun a regular feature on his blog, The Daily Dish, entitled The Cannabis Closet. As the name implies, the feature consists of anonymous emails sent to Andrew by normal, everyday people. Who also happen to smoke pot.

He's printed emails from youth football coaches, bankers, lawyers, moms, dads, graduate students, just about anyone you can think of. The point being that: hey, normal people can smoke weed too, it's not just hippies.

So what do you all think? Is Andrew correct in making the connection between gay rights and marijuana legalization? Will people coming out of the cannabis closet have any affect on ending marijuana prohibition? Has reading any of those emails changed your ideas about marijuana?
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4 comments:

Garret Conour said...

Sterling, I appreciate the thoughful insight, but I feel like you missed the point that Sullivan, and myself, are trying make.

The point was not to equate the actual state of being a homosexual with being a marijuana user. We're very much on agreement that being gay is genetic, while using weed is a choice. However, as I said, that wasn't the point.

The point is that both being a homosexual in the past, and even today to a certain extent, and being a marijuana user carry a very powerful social stigma, coupled with a damaging stereotype, mainly because of the, in some people's opinions, senseless laws against them.

The problem that these stigmas create/created, is that they make it impossible to hold a reasoned debate in the legitimacy of legalization without those opposed discrediting reasonable arguments based on these stereotypes.

Therefore, the point of "coming out of the closet" (of either variety) is to rid peopl of unfair preconceived notions that stifle true debate.

I think you'll still have an issue with this, due to your opposition to ending marijuana prohibition, but I just wanted to make sure that you understood the point I was going for.

April 20, 2009 at 5:39 PM
Aly C. said...

Some pros and cons of legalizing marijuana:

Pros:
1.The drug generally isn't more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation.
2.Limiting the use of the drug intrudes on personal freedom.
3.Legalization would mean a lower price; thus, related crimes (like theft) would be reduced.
4.There are medical benefits such as those for cancer patients.
5.Street justice related to drug disputes would be reduced.
6.It could be a source of additional tax revenues.
7.Police and court resources would be freed up for more serious crimes.
8.Drug dealers (including some terrorists) would lose most or all of their business.
9.The FDA or others could regulate the quality and safety of drugs.

Cons:
1.Marijuana is often used as a stepping-stone drug, leading to heroin, cocaine, or other harder drugs.
2.Stoned driving and other dangers would be increased.
3.Legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids.
4.Because of drug-related arrests, people who have committed or are likely to commit more serious crimes can be taken off the streets.
5.Physical damage would be done to users that abuse the drug.

April 20, 2009 at 6:08 PM
Anonymous said...

Lauren C. Strojny- Legalizing marijuana would cause increased problems with drug use. I do understand your point with how gays came out and people looked at it as ok, and if people come out about smoking then maybe pot would be looked at as ok too. That really would take time and people would lose there reputation if they are in high places, where at the time pot is not acceptable. Really though pot is harmful to ones health, being gay doesnt hurt ones body. Smoking is a gateway drug to other more serious drugs and I personally do not think it should be legalized.

April 20, 2009 at 7:02 PM
bryan moore said...

I would like to refute the idea that legalizing marijuana would create an increase in problems related to drug use as statistically a more lenient policy as related to marijuana seems to help decrease drug usage as a recent study confirmed that the rates of Marijuana usage in the Netherlands (where Amsterdam is) are less that U.S. rates in every category (http://www.csdp.org/ads/dutch2.htm) according to numerous sources one of which is cited above. Though you can argue that Marijuana is a so called gateway drug, legalizing it could possibly reduce its effect as a gateway drug. Because of the fact that many teens turn to cannabis as a way of rebelling against authority, legalizing cannabis and controlling it would make it less of an item associated with rebellion. For example, Salvia is a legal hallucinogen and is used in much smaller quantities and tried by may less individuals that cannabis even though it is legalized. Lastly it is clear that smoking cannabis is not healthy but what makes it unhealthy is the fact that smoke is being breathed into the lungs and along this line of thought it would also be logical to ban cigarettes, hookah, industrial plants and even campfires, all of which contribute to smoke entering peoples lungs. It seems that people should be able to pick their own poison to some extent and legalization would merely control and tax a substance that will be sold in this country anyway.

April 20, 2009 at 10:06 PM

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