Let Everyone Light Up

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death according to the US Surgeon General. Why then, are cigarettes legal, and marijuana not? There are no proven deaths that are linked solely to marijuana use. In other parts of the world, like Europe, marijuana is used frequently as a pain killing remedy.
The only downside is that every once in a while a young kid is introduced to pot and then later that day is introduced to other, more harmful drugs. The number of times that this happens would drastically decrease if marijuana was made legal. If it were legal, kids and people of all ages would not have to go to bad areas that house loads of harmful drugs. Instead these so-called "pot-heads" could just light up on the corner, just like a tobacco user could.
Marijuana use should be a choice. If the government wants to limit this choice, let them limit their limitations to those that apply to tobacco. April 20th is coming up. 4-20 is the Unofficial National "Get High" Day. Why can we not just bring the world together and have a jolly ole time.

Reliving Prohibition

The circumstances regarding the legalization of marijuana are comparable to that of the legalization of alcohol after the prohibition in the United States. From 1920-1933, the U.S. government outlawed alcohol. According to a policy analysis by the Cato Institute, the experiment was an effort to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. However, it had the opposite effect than the one intended. According to the History of Alcohol Prohibition, crime rates skyrocketed due to the insurmountable bootlegging organizations operating across the country. After it was finally legalized, crime rates dropped. Contrary to popular belief, alcoholism did not surge out of control.
The U.S. faces the same problems today with regard to the legalization of marijuana. Like alcohol, marijuana is a highly sought substance that people will seek with or without the government’s approval. Many high school and college students try the drug on experimental basis. Reports by the White House suggest that these individuals are not lifetime users. Marijuana should be legalized by the government and treated just like alcohol. As a commercial item, it can be regulated by price and tax. To keep it out of the hands of youths, the government could put an age restriction policy on sales of the drug.

Who's it gonna hurt?

According to a recent pyschological study, approximately 80% of the population has smoked marijuana at least once in their life. That means that 80% of the population have broken the law and could have been given jail time for the use of an illegal drug. America is supposed to be a democracy and given the percentage of people who have tried the drug, Americans seem to be in favor of looking into having it legalized.
There is one exception to the prohibition of marijuana in this country and that is for those who are suffering. A legal marijuana farm is running in Mississippi and the drug is given to hospitals to use for medical reasons. The two main medical conditions in which patients are given marijuana are cancer and muscular sclerosis. Marijuana not only helps the patients cope with pain, but it also creates an appetite for those patients struggling to eat. Marijuana should be given to any hospital patient who is experiencing great pain and wants some relief.
Another plus side of marijuana is that it has never killed anyone. Unlike alcohol, you cannot overdose on it and experience critical conditions. With large amounts of marijuana, black outs are possible, however they are not serious. Also, marijuana does not have hangover side affects as alcohol does; after smoking it at night, users wake up hungry, but not normally noxious.
Basically, smoking pot is no worse than drinking alcohol, and if the government is going to prohibit marijuana, they might as well outlaw liquor. Marijuana helps people relax and is not known to create violence, as crystal meth or other drugs. Of course, restrictions such as "no driving under the influence of marijuana," should be enforced, as well as a legal age limit. But it is still wrong to outlaw the drug completely. Besides, think of all the money late night drive-throughs would make if marijuana was legalized.

Legalizing Marijuana

Blog Post #6 due Wednesday, April 4.
Should the United States legalize the sale and possession of marijuana? Why or why not? Remember you can't simply give your opinion; you also have to back it up with factual information gathered through research.

Slowly...but surely.

Some of the best teachers I have had were not only great teachers, but also great individuals who freely expressed themselves but not once imposed their beliefs on any of their students. That ability to express their opinion is something that helps make each teacher unique to us, and not just be a drone belting out homework assignments and project due dates.

If we take away this freedom for professors to express opinions, specifically political ones, in the college classroom, then we are beginning to abandon the very fabric of this nation's backbone.
We are given the freedom to express our political opinions because it creates forums for discussion when we disagree on an issue.

In Russia currently, there have been over 15 journalists killed mysteriously. They all had one thing in common; a dislike of the current regime run by Vladimir Putin. Some had uncovered dirty secrets about Putin and some deals he has cut in private (for instance, selling nuclear capabilities to Iran and North Korea) Then suddenly, they have died. These people were killed because of a true lack of freedom concerning political opinion.

If we begin to take away a professor's ability to express him or herself politically, then we are moving slowly towards a Russia-like America. Why is it that we pride ourselves on freedom yet, slowly but surely, we are taking them all away from ourselves?

America: land of the free, except when it is offensive

In college there is a thing called academic freedom, which allows full discussion and debate on any issue, this legislation would limit that discussion and debate. The problem with our collages and universities is too much political correctness, which limits expressing any opinion on an issue. This legislation is a limit on free speech and would be a violation of, if not the letter then at least the spirit of the First Amendment. No more limits on speech are needed in our colleges and universities, but more freedom and protection of speech from the limits currently placed there.

Aside from its debilitating effect on active discussion of issues and censoring of practically all college discussion, the reserving of college professor’s opinions suggest that students automatically believe whatever their teachers say--a gross underestimation of students' own good minds and developing thinking skills. There has not been a political question, raised by a professor, in any of my classes that both sides of the issue were not represented; thus making it clear that students are making up their own minds and are not afraid to express their opinions. Discussion of issues that may not seem political at the outset--the nature of Gatsby's obsession, for example-- often move toward the politics of the era, or the political influences on characters in fiction. Will big government stifle this kind of active engagement in learning?

Open Discussion

In recent years many different groups encouraged young people in the United States to go out and vote, one of the more noticeable being MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign. I feel that there is a more direct method that can be implied here and that is by allowing college professors to have free and open conversations about politics in class.
College is place where young people go to learn, expand their minds, and experience new things. College is also a place to hear new ideas and think about things in a new light. In the atmosphere of a classroom it is easy to talk about subjects like politics because you are with your peers and the professor can very easily play referee or even devil’s advocate.
These in class discussions would also help to inform students on the serious issues of the day and thereby create more informed voters, which is the only way that a democracy can be successful.
It is the duty of college professors to expand the minds of young people around the world and politics should be one of the subjects that are discussed in the classroom anytime it applies to topic at hand. Open discussion is one of the most powerful tools that a democracy has and it should be a part of the college experience no matter the topic of conversation or the people involved.