cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Studies and Proposals Revisit Old Debate





Marijuana Studies and Proposals Revisit Old Debate
Posted by CN Staff on November 11, 2002 at 22:11:58 PT
Technician Editorial
Source: Technician Online
After a new study released by the British Lung Foundation alleges new found dangers of smoking cannabis, a new debate ignited about the dangers of legalization. While there are many solid arguments made to legalize marijuana, it seems wrong to make yet another vice more accessible than it already is. Marijuana advocates make a strong case for its legalization. 
While this new study suggests that marijuana cigarettes are approximately 7 times worse than tobacco cigarettes, advocates still make the case that if the dangers of tobacco can be taken into consideration before smoked, then marijuana users should have the same ability. Advocates of pot also stress how overworked the judicial system is trying pot smokers and the strain it puts on the government financially.A lot of money could also be available from the legalization of marijuana. If taxed similarly to tobacco, the government could possibly have a new source of revenue. The question remains if the public wants education paid for by marijuana taxation.The credibility of the study is also in question, when not too long ago a Canadian study advocated the legalization of marijuana. With this constant flux in the state of information on cannabis, it becomes difficult to maintain a solid position on whether or not it should be legalized.With tobacco and alcohol use as prevalent as they are, if we find out that marijuana is much worse, physically, for someone, is it wrong to make it any more readily available? While many proponents say that marijuana should be legalized due to it being a natural substance, that does not make it any better for people and no more fit for consumption on those grounds.Still, marijuana use is not restricted to a minority in America. With many Americans being regular users and still more having experimented with pot, this debate will not be easily dismissed. With Nevada and Arizona both trying this election year to develop systems of lowering the charges placed upon people caught possessing small amounts of marijuana, the issue is finally coming from the development stage into the implementation stage. Nineteen districts in Massachusetts were able to change marijuana possession from a criminal offense to a civil one. If these programs are successfully implemented, this issue will only get more intense.With so many cases for medicinal marijuana use playing out and San Francisco exploring the possibility of a Medicinal Marijuana Production and Distribution Center, more and more advocates of marijuana legalization are stepping forward and under fire to ask questions that, until now, only appeared in High Times.Problems arise with this new hopeful legislation, as it is only a partial legalization and would be difficult to maintain and enforce. With so many legal and law enforcement problems already caused by marijuana use, it is unwise to produce more by making half steps.No matter how many angles the problem is viewed from, it is still a debate with more facets appearing daily, and one not readily fixed, but at least it is finally being looked into.Complete Title: New Marijuana Studies and Proposals Revisit Old DebateSource: Technician, The (NC State University)Published: November 12, 2002Copyright: 2002 The TechnicianContact: opinion technicianstaff.comWebsite: http://www.technicianonline.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:BLF - Report on Cannabishttp://www.lunguk.org/news/index.htmlBLF - Report on Cannabis - PDF Formathttp://www.lunguk.org/news/a_smoking_gun.pdfCancer Warning Put on Smoking Joints http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14720.shtmlSan Francisco To Explore Growing Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14702.shtmlSouth Shore Voters Back Decriminalizing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14689.shtmlSenate Report on Cannabis: Get Whole Story http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14319.shtml
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