cannabisnews.com: Medical Marijuana Prohibition Must End Medical Marijuana Prohibition Must End Posted by FoM on March 09, 2001 at 06:51:18 PT Staff Editorial, Michigan Daily Source: Michigan Daily Among those who are tried on drug-related charges in Brooklyn's Supreme Court, Yitzchak Fried is not a regular. Nevertheless, the 52-year-old Orthodox rabbi was brought before Judge Plummer E. Lott on charges of selling seven ounces of marijuana to a police informant. The rabbi, who has had a history of trying to help heroin junkies quit, is seeking a mitigation of his sentence on grounds that he was selling marijuana for medical purposes. The case is yet another reminder of the need for reform of drug laws concerning marijuana. There are no compelling reasons not to legalize marijuana when other substances such as cigarettes and alcohol are legal. Marijuana has not been proven to be physically addictive, unlike nicotine, alcohol and even caffeine; nor has it been proven to have any long-term harmful effects. There has never been a recorded case of a fatal marijuana overdose. In fact, the effects of marijuana are often comparable to those of alcohol, but not as harmful as excessive, long-term alcohol consumption. Claims that marijuana is a "gateway drug" -- one that introduces users to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine -- are not well-founded and are often based on easily misinterpreted statistics. In fact, keeping marijuana illegal is the only reason the plant could be considered a gateway drug, as users are introduced to drug dealers who may have access to harder drugs. Marijuana has also been found to have medicinal value. It is used as an anti-nauseant for cancer and AIDS patients and to relieve intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients, as well as to treat people suffering from multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, paraplegia and quadriplegia. But despite the fact that it helps alleviate these patients' suffering, most states outlaw medicinal use. It is extremely unfair to punish the sick for therapeutic use of a drug that should not be illegal in the first place. Legalizing marijuana would alleviate some of the risks involved with its unregulated use. Legalization would greatly decrease the likelihood that people will accidentally use marijuana laced with more harmful substances and make it less accessible to young children or teenagers. It is often easier for adolescents to get marijuana than it is for them to buy beer, because buying alcohol requires someone over 21 years of age, while marijuana, which is illegal and therefore unregulated, has no such barriers to teenage use. Marijuana use is a matter of personal choice; since it is less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes, the government should not interfere when adults choose to use it. Although it should be kept out of the hands of young people, this is also true of legal drugs. Legalizing marijuana would eliminate many of the problems associated with its use, such as its appeal and accessibility to minors and its unfairly severe legal penalties. As long as marijuana remains illegal, these problems will persist. Ending the prohibition of marijuana is the only solution. Source: Michigan Daily (MI)Published: March 8, 2001Copyright: 2001 The Michigan DailyAddress: 420 Maynard StreetAnn Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327Contact: daily.letters umich.eduWebsite: http://www.michigandaily.com/CannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by trashkore on April 26, 2001 at 13:35:42 PT what did you expect? the law? the system? the capitalist juggernaut?all interlinked. all out there to prohibit. it's all part of their modus operandi. if there really was equality, Clinton would have been charged for adultery (hint hint, Lewkinkyyyy). governments would have been charged for a billion counts of corruption. McDonald's would have been illegal merely by the way it does things.it's all a complex. a terrific, yet terrible complex. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by NiftySplifty on March 09, 2001 at 17:28:46 PT Something that's always bugged me... ...the 52-year-old Orthodox rabbi was brought before Judge Plummer E. Lott on charges of selling seven ounces of marijuana to a police informant.Why can the police do the things which are illegal? For example, in the above situation, the rabbi sold seven ounces. The informant bought seven ounces. If there weren't an informant (buyer), there wouldn't have been a sale. Also, why are police able to act as prostitutes, inviting "Johns", then arrest the guy for solicitation? What about the officer for offering? I don't know...that just kinda chaps my hide.Nifty... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by zenarch on March 09, 2001 at 10:17:48 PT good catch K.H! The student movement is building a potent front for reform! Much POWER to them!!! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Kevin Hebert on March 09, 2001 at 09:44:42 PT: Coincedence? 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