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With drug-fueled violence on the rise in Mexico, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitting that the U.S is at least partially at fault for the phenomenon, it’s time that Americans look outside the box for a solution to the “War on Drugs,” coined by Richard Nixon in 1973. Given California’s pitiful economic circumstances, this may be the time to consider legalizing marijuana. Despite President Obama’s snide dismissal of a question about marijuana legalization at a town hall meeting, there are many social and economic reasons why we as a society should put aside our puritanical beliefs for the good of our community as a whole.
We need only to look at the Netherlands for an example of a society that can function harmoniously with marijuana. Cannabis is legal in the Netherlands and can be purchased from government-regulated coffee shops. The Dutch have not experienced a rise in cannabis users since its legalization. If the U.S took even elementary steps to decriminalize cannabis, the government would be able to impose taxes on it, the same as they do with tobacco products. Those taxes would pay into our state budget deficit, and then perhaps the Governator can roll back that one percent sales tax increase and lower the vehicle registration fee (you know, just like he was elected to do instead of Gray Davis).
Call me naïve, but I like to think that good, upstanding, tax-paying citizens don’t like to break the law to get what they want. If marijuana were made legal and regulated the same way as alcohol and cigarettes are, the street drug business would suffer. Better still, the business model for legalization already exists. Thanks to California Proposition 215, which legalized the medicinal use of marijuana, as well as President Obama’s pledge not to raid marijuana dispensaries, a systematic method of providing quality product in a highly controlled environment already exists.
In the present model, one needs a doctor’s pre scri ption to gain entry into a medicinal marijuana dispensary. Due to fears of losing their licenses, not every doctor will write the pre scri ption. Luckily, there are doctors whose entire practice evolves around writing such pre scri ptions. All you have to do is make an appointment, demonstrate a medical need for marijuana (anything from anxiety, depression and insomnia to glaucoma, cancer and HIV) and voila! You are a new certificate-carrying marijuana consumer.
Indeed, pot prescribing is the new cosmetic surgery. The doctors cannot legally recommend a dispensary for you to visit, but no worries. Thanks to Google, you can find any and all dispensaries near you. Once you decide on one, good luck actually finding the place. Most of the dispensaries are very discreetly hidden, and with good reason. It is difficult to secure a lease on a property, so when they do, the dispensaries go out of their way to blend in. When you eventually make it into the building, you present your driver’s license and certificate to their receptionist, who will promptly call your doctor’s office to verify its authenticity. Once they do, you will be escorted into the room that houses all the pot– and there is a lot of it. Thankfully, both of the dispensaries I visited had very knowledgeable and friendly employees who were more than happy to answer any questions and find you the strain that will work best for your condition. Once you have made your purchase, your products will be packed in a plain, unmarked paper bag, stapled shut, and sealed with a sticker that reads “For Medical Use Only. Do Not Open Until Final Destination is Reached.”
Now, I know what you must be thinking: marijuana is a gateway drug, it’s dangerous, and what about the children? I grew up during Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign, and every school I ever went to had D.A.R.E programs, and at least once a year, we were all given some kind of visual representation of the perils of marijuana use, like the remains of a totaled car or a guest speaker with a harrowing story about overcoming their drug and alcohol addiction. Despite the efforts of such programs, I can personally attest to seeing my fellow classmates roll their eyes and go on about their days. The bottom line was that if they were going to do drugs, those demonstrations did little or nothing to stop that. Besides, I’m not suggesting that marijuana should be legal for everyone. Perhaps it is the hullabaloo about the perils of marijuana that leads some kids to try it. If marijuana were accepted socially, it would be like taking the venom out of the snake. It would no longer be a symbol of rebellion.
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