Short of the butchery of the idea of freedom, and the insane amount of lies and misunderstanding surrounding the use of marijuana; there is one point that nags at me time and time again. That point is, that nobody has an answer. Nobody can, within a single point-for-point debate give me even a decent reason as to why marijuana is illegal.
And I really don’t understand that.
I see all these debates on Youtube, and read the many ‘back-and-forths’ in the tons of articles I get throughout the week, but they all contain the same information, and end in the same manner. Nobody has an answer to my question; is there a good reason to keep marijuana illegal?
Every time we see an article on this topic, we see the same questions. We then usually see the same responses. Then we see an answer to that response, but that’s it. It never seems to go any further. Why not?
Following are a few examples of common arguments, the responses and the lack of answers.
Marijuana Is Dangerous
You often hear how dangerous marijuana is from the government. They usually have “studies” to prove this as well. The problem is, the pro-legalization crowd answers with a dissection of those studies and where they fault. Then, we share our own studies that show the exact opposite of their claim.
Sometimes we even see the conversation move towards the governments own FDA-approved drug; Marinol. Marinol is basically Marijuana, but you don’t smoke it. Seriously, that’s the difference. Same amounts of THC and all.
Then there is silence. I never see the government respond to this fact. I never hear them try to explain themselves.
Buying Marijuana Contributes To National Crime
Another argument the government seems to get all hushy about is the fact that buying/selling marijuana contributes to crime. The picture they like to paint is that if you buy marijuana, you are providing money to people that fight for their black market share. These people kill others over money, etc.
The problem we have with this is the fact that the prohibition of marijuana is what causes the crime, not the use. We usually respond that “if marijuana were legal and regulated in much the same way alcohol is, then there wouldn’t be such a black market.” And this is true. There were a ton of violent crimes commited in conjunction to alcohol distribution during its prohibition. But you don’t hear many stories like that anymore. Why? Because the government stepped in and regulated it, and there was no need for a black market.
Again, silence. I want to hear someone talk on that point, without any double talking or attempts at word-play. Just answer that. If prohibition has created crime in the past, and was alleviated by the legalization of alcohol; and prohibition is causing the crime now, then what say you?
Marijuana Is A Gateway Drug
We hear this one time and time again. Marijuana is a gateway drug, and if you smoke weed for a while, you will want to try other drugs.
The thing about this claim is that I haven’t seen a study, even of the fake sort that would back this claim up. It reaks of Anslinger’s fear tactics.
However, we have a different view. In 1995 marijuana use took up around 77% of all illicit drug users in America. 77%. That’s the number of people that use marijuana, but not other drugs (not including alcohol or tobacco). So, out of all the drug users in America, 23% of them are using drugs other than marijuana. Hmmm….doesn’t quite sound like a gateway drug to me.
Also keep in mind that the number of marijuana users has, and will continue to climb among adults. The use among kids and teens has been on the decline. So, it would seem that marijuana is indeed NOT a gateway drug.
I never hear them respond to that. Even in the video I mentioned in another post, that same fact was posed to FBI Director Robert Mueller, with no response (other than the goofy “dammit I’m stuck” look on his face).
Marijuana Users Entering Into Treatment Are On The Rise
This one is true, but with a twist. The government likes to tell you that around 62% of the teens in drug treatment centers are there because of marijuana.
What we like to say is “well, yeah. That’s the choice I would make too.” You see, when you get busted for minor possession, sometimes you get “lucky” and the judge will tell you that you can serve time, or you can go to a treatment center for your “problem.” What would you pick? This is becoming more common with the amount of officials that have a vested interest in filling such facilities (commissions for doing so).
It appears that prohibition again is the culprit. But again, we don’t hear what the government has to say about that.
This Isn’t Just The Government
The real problem is that this isn’t just the government spitting propoganda, it’s the whole country. Every time you get into a discussion with someone about this, they too are left with little to no answers. This is because they are only repeating what they heard in school. Unfortunately, the government has a monopoly on that front as well.
So, I ask you. Do you believe everything you hear? If you use some of these reasons as to why marijuana should be illegal, can you answer my rebuttals? If so, please do so. These questions are burning inside, and I think they are what fuels the pro-legalization crowd.
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Josh is a pro-legalization enthusiasts. Though he claims not to smoke marijuana, he states that "it's a personal decision with many of the same reasons that I don't drink. Hardly a reason it should be illegal." 
very nice article.
this is true about every pro-mary discussion. people only say what they hear, so may as well just keep this whole movement going along by doing so!
From what I’ve been able to gather, marijuana is illegal because, in the early 20th century, a bunch of prejudiced douchebags wanted a way to punish blacks and hispanics.
At the time the AMA testified before congress that marijuana was not harmful, and were basically told, “Who cares what the evidence indicates.”
@jw,
You are correct. More spcecifically it was almost completely attributed to Harry J. Anslinger. With some notable quotes like “Makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” It is quite obvious that marijuana was prohibited due to racism. It’s funny how this stands to this day.
The best place to find more information on that would be this article.