Editorial, Opinion

STAFF EDIT: Reefer madness

The introduction of a bill to legalize the sale of cannabis in Massachusetts sparks debates about the effect this type of legislation would have on existing users and nonusers alike. Following last year’s successful decriminalization legislation, the legalization bill would give the government the responsibility to regulate and tax the cultivation, sale and usage of marijuana. Revenue from this tax would ease the state’s deficit, in a time of economic downturn when creative sources of government income are essential.

Aside from being a legitimate source of revenue ‘- up to $250 per ounce, depending on the amount of THC in the product, according to the report ‘- cannabis legalization would also free up the exorbitant amount of state funds and energies put into trying to stop marijuana sale and consumption. Especially after decriminalization, society is now readier than ever to properly adapt to legalization of the drug, which many believe is wrongly tabooed and should be placed into the same category as alcohol and cigarettes. Skeptics of the passage of the legalization bill worry that it will encourage nonusers to try it, or will open doors to casual users and increase abuse of the drug.

But regardless of its legal stance, marijuana has been prevalent in American society, albeit hidden, for half a century. It isn’t unlikely that those who would take advantage of the legalization of the drug have been using all along, and those who have abstained from it would continue to do so. Like alcohol and tobacco, cannabis would become a personal choice. People who would be of legal age for selling and using ‘- those 21 or older, as defined in the bill ‘- would be well aware of the physiological effects of the drug and how they may impair judgment and influence the user’s health and safety. Aside from education, just as they educate people about alcohol and tobacco, the government would then have no other task but to regulate and collect tax revenue, while the public would be free to make their own choices with a substance that is no more harmful than those formerly mentioned.

As the mainstream becomes younger and more progressive, its government must adjust itself to stay in step with it. Legalization of marijuana would remove the Reefer Madness-esque stigma from the drug and put an end to wasted public resources aimed at prevention. People are going to get high, whether the drug is forbidden, decriminalized or legalized, and the government would do well to take advantage of this and make a decision that would benefit its budget. This is a time of progress in society where morals are changing and legislation should change with them, or else regulation efforts will end up in smoke.

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One Comment

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