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Outdated Ideas on Marijuana

by | Dec 31, 2019 | Legislation, Marijuana |

Shhhh, don’t tell 33 states plus the District of Columbia which now have a form of legal marijuana; 11 of which plus DC have recreational/medical; 22 of which have medical marijuana laws.1

“The truth of the matter is, there’s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug,” Biden said. “It’s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.” Former Vice President Joe Biden, Las Vegas, August 3, 2019

Thank you to the author of the 94 Crime Bill (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act), which along with minimum mandatory sentences for marijuana possession, contributed to mass incarceration and prison over-crowding, effecting disproportionate numbers of minorities.2

“And today incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic,” Bloomberg said, referencing marijuana, “which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done.” Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD), January 22, 2019

And thank you to one of the overseers of Stop and Frisk, where between 2003 and 2013, the New York City Police Department conducted over 100,000 stops per year3 including small amount pot busts, largely profiling black and Hispanic individuals.4

While the 94 Crime Bill and NYC’s ongoing Stop and Frisk program had valiant intentions, it is safe to say these two septuagenarians are decades out of step and out of date with their views on legalized marijuana.

I live in a state with legal recreational marijuana. We didn’t just legalize it so just anybody could sell it on the corner. Just like alcohol, it’s a highly regulated substance. You have legal growing operations, legal shops, age restrictions, impaired driving restrictions, etc. We wanted to smoke it for sure, but we also wanted to monetize it and decriminalize it.

Mary and Jane

Notes

  1. ProCon.org, “Legal Recreational Marijuana States and DC,” Last modified June 25, 2019. https://marijuana.procon.org/legal-recreational-marijuana-states-and-dc/
  2. Wikipedia, “Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act”. Last modified November 12, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_Crime_Control_and_Law_Enforcement_Act#Legacy
  3. Wikipedia, “Stop-and-frisk in New York City.” Last modified December 1, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop-and-frisk_in_New_York_City
  4. Sullom, Jacob. “Why Did New York Have to Decriminalize Marijuana Possession Twice?” reason, July 31, 2019. https://reason.com/2019/07/31/why-did-new-york-have-to-decriminalize-marijuana-possession-twice/