Pubdate: Mon, 13 Apr 2015
Source: Marianas Variety (US MP)
Copyright: 2015 Marianas Variety
Contact:  http://www.mvariety.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4642
Author: Ambrose M. Bennett
Note: The writer is a retired educator who resides in Kagman, Saipan.

I AM FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA BEING LEGAL -- BUT!

MEDICAL use alone is filled with even more challenges than full 
legalization because it does nothing to stop or lower the marijuana crime rate.

We are already learning that medical use alone is creating new 
marijuana crimes on top of the old ones which is why states are now 
starting to forego medical use only and instituting full legalization 
of marijuana like Colorado and Washington (Alaska, Oregon and 
Washington D.C. have just joined the ranks of full legalization and 8 
more states have lined up for full legalization to avoid the pitfalls 
of medical use only. Legalization is not just about helping sick 
people but about better controls, addressing the concerns of everyone 
and the revenues that can be earned from this NEW Industry.

It is also a fact that people want to vote on the issue and to do so 
they need to study marijuana use under legal conditions in our 
society before voting on a permanent law and there is no better way 
to study marijuana than to declare the Moratorium period I proposed 
which will allow citizens and the Legislature to get ALL the answers 
to questions and concerns about marijuana use and the products before 
drafting and voting on a final law. Laws also change when they go 
from one House to the other in our Legislature so why are we only 
playing around with medical use when we can study the entire 
marijuana industry including the products at the same time? We are 
literally setting ourselves up for double and triple unnecessary work 
and "Oversight Hearings" when and if this Bill gets to the Lower-House.

Medical use alone also does nothing to change the way we handle 
marijuana use in our society as a whole and we will still have 
marijuana crimes and we will still be locking up people, especially 
our children for a single marijuana cigarette so people can get pain 
medicine - is that really fair. We will surely create more work for 
DPS and our White Collar Crime Unit with citizens and tourist trying 
to get marijuana illegally. We must be more analytical and look at 
the BIG picture because ignoring the nuances in the bigger picture 
will definitely lead to mistakes. Have you thought about the fact 
that we will see all kinds of phony schemes and illnesses by locals 
and tourists to get marijuana - schemes that may even become 
organized crime as this is a Billion Dollar Industry we are flirting 
with so we better be more aware and address all the nuances.

Do you realize that some tourists are going to be manipulated and 
even ripped-off with marijuana related criminal schemes as if 
tourists are not suffering enough from criminals in the CNMI? Now we 
are going to set tourists up for even more thief and robberies 
related to marijuana which will be a true and living example of our 
ignorance of the nuances in medical use alone.

There are many people not in pain who can't get a prescription but 
need and want marijuana just to help them to cope or calm down and 
relax under stressed conditions which can stop or prevent arguments & 
fights and even save a life, people want to socialize without having 
to drink hard liquor or cases of beer, and there are those who want 
to see the financial rewards of the entire Marijuana Industry so do 
we ignore the majority to serve a few? Those who only want medical 
use legalized need to re-think what they are asking because it is a 
selfish and narrow minded approach driven simply by the fear of 
getting medical use legal because they think it is an easier sale but 
what about the adverse effects on the rest of society that will still 
exist and even escalate. Medical use may relieve some personal pain 
but it will also create head-aces and more challenges for control 
that will have a rippling effect throughout society.

Our CNMI leaders really need to start thinking more outside-the-box 
and stop making us the very last to do what everyone else in America 
has already STOPPED doing for something better - in other words 
medical use alone has already been proven too difficult to control so 
medical use alone will only serve to keep us behind the times 
outdated and late when it comes to keeping up with the rest of 
American society socially and economically. Give all of us and our 
children a chance to live the American Dream and Help the Sick at the 
same TIME - Thank You!
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom