Pubdate: Tue, 06 Nov 2001
Source: Daily Forty-Niner (CA Edu)
Copyright: 2001 Daily Forty-Niner
Contact:  http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1391
Note: Publication of the California State University, Long Beach
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp)

LEGALIZE HEMP, END THE HYPOCRISY

More than any other time in our nation's history, now is the time to make 
changes, -- to burn bridges, make new starts and, above all, put an end to 
some of our governments more closed-minded and hypocritical laws.

A good place to start perhaps would be the legalization of drugs.  In the 
Midwest, farmers grow marijuana (illegally mind you) to keep themselves 
afloat and have been doing so for many years already.

Farmers must grow marijuana to make up the money they lose due to various 
natural disasters over the years and the lack of federal help in recouping 
their losses. Farmers turn to marijuana because it is easy to grow and is 
obviously very profitable.

As for the government's involvement, they can allow the growing of 
marijuana and use the hemp for various things such fuel, rope and natural 
gas. These things would not only be more economically viable than what we 
are currently using, but are also more environmentally safe.

The government could tax the sale of marijuana much the way they tax 
cigarettes already, and use that money to possibly help decrease our 
countrys deficit. Plus, let's face it, cigarettes are just plain more 
addictive than marijuana and that's a proven fact.

While all this is going on, we then should start a clean needles program, 
which would allow drug addicts to exchange their dirty needles for clean 
ones, therefore alleviating their chances of contracting AIDS, hepatitis or 
any other dangerous disease that racks the addict community.

Contrary to popular belief, the clean needles program is not about 
condoning or supporting drug abuse. What the program really does is condone 
cleanliness for those who have made the decision or are in the situation of 
being junkies. You could almost liken it to sex education or the handing 
out of condoms in schools, -- nobody is condoning it, but if you're going 
to do it, then at least be safe about it.

By taking these beginning steps, the government could alleviate the 
hypocritical stance it has taken to this point and become, for a change, a 
progressive thinking country. This progressive thought would put us on the 
level of countries like Holland where drugs are legal and England, where it 
was recently announced they would no longer make the possession of 
marijuana an arrestable offense.

The war on drugs is simply a political stance, for politicians who have an 
agenda they are not willing to be completely honest about. It's easy to say 
we're fighting drugs, but it's been documented that we are losing this 
fight, -- or are we even really fighting?

Let's not forget that California voters passed the use of medical 
marijuana, so it is obvious that the uses are not all that bad. Cigarettes 
are just as bad if not worse for you and yet they are still completely 
legal in the United States.

We are not saying legalize marijuana so we can smoke it in peace, what we 
are saying is legalize marijuana to end the hypocrisy and fight the real 
problems that exist in this country.
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MAP posted-by: Beth