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HomeCommentaryShould recreational use of marijuana be legalized?

Should recreational use of marijuana be legalized?

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Next week Washington could be one of three states legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

Currently the use of medical marijuana is permitted in about one-third of the country, but advocates are hoping to get it a step further. If voters in Washington, Oregon or Colorado change state laws to permit possession and regulate the sale of marijuana, then backers say it could put pressure on the federal government to modify the national prohibition on the substance. The prohibition has been in place since 1937.

Initiative 502, in Washington, would regulate the sale of small amounts of marijuana to people 21 and older. It would be illegal for motorists to have more than 5 nanograms of THC (an active ingredient of marijuana) per milliliter of blood in their system, according to BallotPedia.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson has stated, “We should regulate and tax )marijuana) like alcohol and tobacco instead of propping up black market profiteers. We have better uses for our police, courts, and jails.”

Republican candidate for governor Robert McKenna opposes the measure and has said, “Once we open the door to all kinds of marijuana, with use by all kinds of people, medical marijuana users will be swept up.”

Other opponents argue that THC levels vary, depending on the person, and the law would put medical marijuana users at greater risk of arrest.

How did you vote, or how do you plan to vote, on Initiative 502?

 

Tracy Simmons
Tracy Simmons
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of FāVS.News, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Associate Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.

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Sam Fletcher
Sam Fletcher
12 years ago

I think the biggest reason to legalize it (aside from it being almost entirely harmless, especially compared to alcohol) is how it unfairly effects minorities vs. white people.

I’d like it to be regulated like alcohol — no driving, no one under 21 gets access, and regulations on ads and public consumption.

Joe Newby
Joe Newby
12 years ago

Short answer: No. During my time in the service, I saw too many Marines messed up using marijuana.

Sam Fletcher
Sam Fletcher
12 years ago

I agree that treatment for drug abuse should be widely available. Alcohol, which is legal, and as a drug, is orders of magnitude more dangerous than marijuana, but because it is legal, there are no repercussions for those seeking treatment, and no punishment for the much wider base of consumers who use it responsibly.

Sam Fletcher
Sam Fletcher
12 years ago

Argh, typing too fast during my lunch break. Alcohol is legal, and is orders of magnitude more dangerous than marijuana, yet there are no legal repercussions for those seeking treatment. Responsible alcohol users are not punished for a relatively harmless and fun activity.

I think opening up a recreational market would also make it much easier to keep away from children, and that’s a big priority for me. Drug dealers don’t card.

Jim CastroLang
Jim CastroLang
12 years ago

In general I agree with Sam but in the end I voted against I502 because they way it is written is to murky especially concerned how you can legally purchase and the quantity limit is so small that the black market will still reign.

Sam Fletcher
Sam Fletcher
12 years ago

I don’t disagree Jim but I also think if the law is passed, it can 1) be amended later and 2) will show the federal government the American people are tired of prohibition. The latter will happen anyway, now with more than 50% of Americans, for the first time, supporting legalization, but if I-502 doesn’t pass, I can see it taking another ten years.

And if it’s grown locally, why would anyone need to buy it from Mexican drug lords?

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