Potheads. The term has been used for many years to both praise and denigrate the consumers of Marijuana. At one time, this drug was legal to consume up until the Prohibition Era changed that. Just like the ban on alcohol gave rise to the black-market sales and the related violence, so too has the same happened with the ban on recreational drug use. We can't seem to go a day without hearing or seeing a drug-related crime on the news or in the paper and it is way past time that this is put to an end.
While many people will argue that hard drugs should not be legalized for recreational use, far fewer will argue the same about marijuana. It has proven medical benefits that alone should be enough to prove that the original ban was misguided to say the least. Another factor in the debate is the fact that alcohol, a much more damaging drug with far fewer medical benefits, is legal and the source of billions of dollars a year in tax revenue. People impaired by alcohol often become violent or careless of those around them, or both especially when they get behind the wheel of a car and drive drunk. It has been shown that those who get behind the wheel of a car when stoned on Marijuana actually become overly cautious in most cases. On top of that building a tolerance for the drug allows some people to operate a vehicle normally even when they have recently partaken of Marijuana. This has caused a bit of a controversy when determining if a person who has ingested marijuana should be arrested for DUI. Because of these factors, the argument for the legalization of Marijuana as a recreational alternative to alcohol is a strong argument indeed.
In my honest opinion, given the negative effects of alcohol on the human body, the choice of engaging in an activity that is less damaging is a clear one. This alone should be enough to convince our Legislators to remove Marijuana bans. But what really talks to these people is MONEY! The fact that Marijuana can be taxed like alcohol or tobacco should be incentive enough considering how many regular users we have of Marijuana now. Surprisingly, many people I know do not smoke tobacco and yet they still smoke Marijauana on a regular basis. Many are former smokers of tobacco and have quit and yet they continue to smoke Marijuana anyway. Tobacco is also proven to be detrimental to the body and yet it too continues to be legal to purchase right along with alcohol. Where is the sense in that? Both remain legal mainly because of the tax revenue they generate. Why shouldn't an effective drug wchich offers more benefits and fewer risks of damage not join these two as a money-maker in the free market of mind and mood altering drugs we legally sell across the counter now?
