Legalize It!

I am a public school teacher that believes in the legalization of marijuana.

There are a whole host of arguments I could talk about for my position, and those who follow the debate on legalization already know those arguments. But as a school teacher, I feel there some specific issues that need to be addressed. Indeed, I suspect there are some questions/concerns one may ask themselves when reading my opening statement:

"What about the children? Do you really think it is acceptable to tell children it is OK to use drugs? Won't more children use marijuana if it is legal? Would you tell your students that it is OK to use marijuana?"

Probably the most irritating and overused arguments against legalization come whenever young people are brought into the equation. First, let me say that, like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana distribution and use should be limited to adults. Children and teenagers are still growing, both physically and mentally, and we understand that consumption of a substance like marijuana can be harmful to their growth. Not to mention that, as a society, we have basically accepted the fact there are certain vices that are legitimate for adults to participate in that young people are not allowed to. These include consumption of alcohol and nicotine, gambling, and viewing of pornography. Why can't use of marijuana be a part of that same understanding?

Yes, young people do often come into contact or participate in the vices above. That does not mean we prohibit their uses for everyone. The consequences of doing so only produces more harmful consequences, as we know form the prohibition of alcohol and the war on drugs. And it doesn't stop individuals from getting a hold of their drug of choice, including young people. Marijuana has been illegal for a long time, and that certainly hasn't stopped children from getting a hold of it when they really want to. If anything, legalizing marijuana with appropriate regulations will decrease the chances of a young person getting a hold of it. The seller of the drug will be a distributor who could get into trouble for selling to minors, just as they would with alcohol and tobacco. A person who sells the drug illegally, as it currently is the case in our country, is less likely to care about the consequences of who they sell to because they have chosen to break the law to begin with.

As far as what I would say to my students goes, I would never say "you should smoke marijuana". Likewise, I would never say "you should drink alcohol" or "you should smoke cigarettes". It is not only morally irresponsible, but I would likely loose my job if an administrator ever found out that I had said any of those things. In addition, I am not opposed to drug education. Indeed, we should continue to inform youth about the dangers of drugs, just like we should about alcohol, nicotine, and anything else that can cause harm. We should prepare our youth for the fact that, when they become adults and are allowed to engage in vices, there are negative consequences to misuse and overuse of said vices (including marijuana). At the same time, let's not pretend that marijuana is the great evil that anti-drug crusaders claim it to be. Marijuana is not only safer than other drugs that are illegal, it actually safer than most drugs that are legal. To say otherwise is intellectually dishonest, most teenagers know better, and of course, it doesn't stop them from using it.

If marijuana were legalized, I would tell my students the same thing that I tell them about consumption of alcohol or nicotine: "there are negative consequences to misuse (and I would explain what those are), but when you turn (18/21) years of age, you will have the right to use it. Just make sure to be safe and responsible."

However, since cannabis is illegal, I end up telling my students the negative consequences of misuse, and simply state that "it is against the law". It is the most appropriate response I can come up with given that it is against the law, and I would probably loose my job if I said anything to the contrary. I have actually had this conversation with one student who openly bragged about pot use in my class once, and I have a feeling, I will have this conversation again in the near future.

I imagine one more question a reader of this post might ask is whether or not I smoke marijuana give my passion about this subject. I will simply say that I have used the drug in the past, and that I may use it again if it ever becomes becomes legal. For right now, I have too much to loose if I ever get caught with it, so I will stay clean until such time. That is probably all I will say about my own personal use.

The video that follows shows an excellent cartoon I originally found via Andrew Sullivan. It not only shows the negative consequences of marijuana's prohibition, but also shows the positive consequences of it's legalization.




It is time to end the prohibition of this drug!