A PUSH FOR MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
Abstract. The prohibition of marijuana has only deteriorated the drug’s name. But marijuana does not fall on to the criteria to be considered as a dangerous drug to be prohibited. Thousands of years ago, before marijuana has been prohibited, it is the most cultivated crop used medicinally and industrially. However, its uses has not been continually realized and propagated due to the restrictions of its applications. The substantial benefits that can be derived from the productive use of marijuana as medicine, as an additional source of income for a country’s economy as well as its environmental benefit are the reasons over why marijuana prohibition must turn out to marijuana legalization. This paper aims to seek points that legalizing marijuana would be a sensible decision. Results of the study show that marijuana does not pose danger on health and has the potential of supporting a treatment against diseases. And marijuana, if legalized will become an additional source of income tax for the government’s budget to be increased and not to be decreased by the expensive costs incurred by its prohibition. Lastly, as a good substitute of a raw material for paper production, several big trees will be preserved thus forests and wildlife will be saved. With the results of the study it can therefore be settled that legalizing marijuana is a great opportunity to grasp on the advantages that the drug could contribute.
Keywords: Cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, medicinal marijuana
Introduction
Prohibition over a drug’s use is based on the measure of danger it could impose to human health plus having no any medicinal value. Marijuana, scientific name cannabis sativa, constitutes 483 chemical substances, was declared as one in the list of the prohibited drugs in 1906. But marijuana does not meet the criteria over the prohibition. Dr. Lester Grinspoon (1997) wrote that someday, marijuana will be seen as a wonder drug as was penicillin in 1940’s because like penicillin, marijuana is remarkably nontoxic. And the result of banning marijuana has just denied the advantages it may brought up if not restricted.
The significant benefits that can be gained from marijuana refers on its use as medicine in treating diseases, as another source of income for the country and the related environmental advantage it could all offer once its use and plantations are allowed. The prohibition of marijuana only rejects those benefits and in order to utilize it, marijuana should be legalized.
This study seeks to find out the truth about marijuana’s advantages in order to know and give a stand pushing on the idea of legalizing its use. Specifically, it answers the following questions:
- Is marijuana not detrimental to human health?
- Will marijuana’s plantation help address some of the environments problems?
- Does marijuana has medicinal value?
- Would the legalization of marijuana be wise decision for a country’s economic benefit?
The study aims to prove that marijuana legalization will be a wise action to start discovering and experimenting more on the productive uses of marijuana and to give a stop over the widespread idea that marijuana brings no good. This paper is hoped to bring on insights in the field of pharmacology that will help appreciate marijuana’s medicinal qualifications that will serve as the start into the acceptance of the drug’s use.
Marijuana is a safe drug that can be used for medical purposes.
The use of marijuana dates back 2737 B.C. starting from China spreading to India, Africa until it reached Europe where it has been used medicinally and industrially. Ancient China and Egypt used cannabis to relieve inflammation, soreness from gout, rheumatism and other health problems. Years before marijuana prohibition pushed by America in 1906, showed that it has been used as medicine.
Of over 400 substances, with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the principal constituent of marijuana, it is believed that the drug can cause potential harm to human’s health that has rooted its illegalization. But studies reveal the opposite. Dr. Lester Grinspoon (1997) wrote that someday, marijuana will be seen as a wonder drug as was penicillin in 1940’s because like penicillin, marijuana is remarkably nontoxic. And research proves that marijuana is indeed nontoxic. Dr. Slikker’s study of the cannabis (as cited in Goddard, 1996), shows that monkeys exposed to very high levels of cannabis shows no health disorders on the monkeys. The result pushes him to say that marijuana is safe ( ¶ 16). Another measure of the safety profile of the cannabis is that from the birth of its use, there has been no record of death caused by marijuana. Based on the List of Causes of death released in 2009, marijuana showed a balance of zero which is worth notifying since there have been a lot of marijuana users. Also, the World Health Organization’s review (1995) states that there is no record of overdose fatalities attributed to marijuana because regardless of its quality and potency, it really cannot induce fatal overdose (p.4). In addition, even the Drug Enforcement Agency’s own administrative judge, Francis Young (1998) concluded that “Marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substances ever known to man.”
There are already several studies controlled by doctors and research institutes about the potential of marijuana as medicine where they found out that the drug is indeed capable of treating certain kind of diseases. Glaucoma, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pains, cancer and symptoms of HIV/Aids like nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are some of the diseases marijuana could provide treatment.( Marcotte, T.D. PhD., et. al., 2012, pp.17-62). Evidence is the case of a two-year old boy from Missoula, Montana who suffered stage brain cancer and has been taken into the route of medical marijuana aside from a hospital’s medical treatment. With the continuous treatment including the cannabis oil that helped alleviate the condition of the child, the little boy got fully recovered and declared by doctors as cancer free ( KXLY News, 2011). Another study conducted by researchers at Harvard University (2011) tested the tetrahydrocannabinol as a treatment against cancer growth and the results revealed that THC reduces cancer cells. One more issue is the fear that marijuana smoking causes respiratory disorders. But unlike tobacco, marijuana smoking does not bring lung disorder. The America’s Medical Association’s review (as reported in Astaiza, 2012), marijuana does not impair lung function. Researchers have tested the lung function of 5155 young adults over the course of 20 years. Tobacco smokers lost lung function over time while marijuana users do not show any. Thus the cases and studies only show that marijuana is a safe drug that has its own medicinal value needed to be utilized and to be further explored.
Legalizing marijuana provides economic advantage
The prohibition of marijuana disregards its economic benefits. R.A. 9165 prohibits the use of dangerous drugs and one of them is marijuana. But, marijuana before prohibition is known as the most profitable and desirable crop that can be grown (Mechanical Engineering, 1937, p. 1). This crop is cultivated around the world especially in tropical areas like India, Vietnam, Mexico, and Philippines.
Legalizing marijuana can generate additional source of income tax. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, 24% of the illegal drugs used are marijuana which is the second most used illegal drug next to methamphetamine (PDEA Annual Report, 2010, p. 11). These demands on the use of marijuana could generate more taxes than corn and rice, combined. In a widespread black market, legalizing marijuana gives the government the power to regulate its supply in the market and reclaim the market back. In 2010, 207 marijuana plantations were eradicated by the joint forces of PDEA, PA, PNP, and PAF (PDEA Annual Report, p. 11). These plantations, if not destroyed, may have the power to generate income for the country to increase its budget. PDEA has interdicted marijuana with a total value of Php 2.1 Billion (PDEA Annual Report, 2010, p. 21). This value if taxed under Sin Tax law could have generated an amount of Php 250 Million. In 1937 in the United States, Marijuana Tax Act regulated and taxed marijuana products, retailers, and suppliers before it ends in 1970 where many states banned the possession and retail of marijuana.
Marijuana legalization will also generate more job opportunities. Since marijuana takes processes to be used, through legalization, the jobless can have the opportunity to uplift their livings. On a letter sent to W. Pearce, US President George Washington wrote “Make the most of the Indian hemp seed . . . and sow it everywhere!” (1974). Even the president himself recognized the importance of marijuana economically, that it could be a source of jobs to farmers. Marijuana before prohibition was the crop planted by farmers. In 1938, farmers admitted that marijuana is an easy to grow crop and can yield from three to six tons per acres that they preferred to plant it than other crops (“New Billion Dollar Crop”, ¶. 3). Marijuana ease of cultivation can create jobs from harvesting up to processing. The Netherlands whom legalized the use of marijuana created 300 coffee shops and about 100,000 offered to its people. (D. Greringer PhD., 1994, p. 3)
Prohibiting marijuana is too expensive. In 2012, President Benigno Aquino III signed the Php 1.816 Trillion Philippine National Budget for the fiscal year 2013. This budget is still not enough to implement government programs and plans. Even the government is in deficit, it is spending billions of pesos battling marijuana. In 2012, the Philippine government allocated a budget of Php 755,462,000.00 to the PDEA (General Appropriations Act, 2012, p. 1297). From Php 500 Million in 2010, it raised by Php 250 Million in 2012. In a third world country, battling against marijuana is very expensive. Increasing the numbers of law enforcers and investigators needs a big budget to eradicate marijuana.
The enforcement of marijuana costs expensively. Dr. de Jesus said that “if we decriminalize marijuana we will decongest our judicial system and we will be unburdening our law enforcement agencies” (DJ Yap, 2004, ¶1). Prohibition of marijuana just adds problems to the judiciary. The Philippine courts are congested of cases not solve for many years. In the Philippines, marijuana possession between 5 grams – 499 grams merits a life sentence. In 2005, a 54 year old, Rosario Bayot Mahinay, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for the possession of 10 sticks of marijuana weighing 1.79 grams (Cebu Daily News, 2008, ). The years of the imprisonment of a convicted person costs the government a lot. The government spends Php 5,774,076,000 for the BJMP (General Appropriations Act, 2012, p. 5280). If prohibition still continues, every person imprisoned due to marijuana possession will be budgeted by the government. The government is budgeting every operation done by the PDEA which is expensive and dangerous. Based on the PDEA Annual Report (2010) the operatives have difficulties in pursuing operations in some marijuana plantation areas because those are rebel infested (p. 11). Disturbing the rebels in the mountains to eradicate marijuana could ignite a battle between rebels and government authorities.
Marijuana Plantation Provides Environmental Benefits
Hemp is another name for marijuana plant. It is easily grown in lands within a span of only 4 months at 10-20 feet tall ready for harvesting. It is one of the most cultivated crops since the early times that has been used by people medicinally or with other purposes before it has been banned. And its plantation nowadays has undergone into studies that recent discoveries pointed out that hemp is predominantly beneficial also to the environment especially if it is legalized.
Like any other trees, hemp also has its own productive use aside from its uses therapeutically. One is that is it potentially capable of being a raw material for paper production. An example of paper produced from marijuana plant is the Declaration of Independence of the United States which until the 21st has still an unchanged color (Thomas Jefferson et. al., 1776). All assorted paper can be produced from marijuana which means that billions of trees, which takes 20-50 years before harvested commercially, can be preserved if marijuana plant will be used for paper production which only takes 4 months of growing, thus saving the environment. Cholia (2001) of the U.S Department of Agriculture stated that an acre of marijuana can produce four times paper of what an acre of trees can, that is why legalizing the growing of marijuana would in fact help preserve the forests and soil erosion due to human activity of logging thus preserving the wildlife habitat.(¶5). Furthermore, paper manufacture using marijuana plants uses fewer toxic and caustic chemicals than is used in raw materials from trees that will result to less pollution (¶2).
Another good thing about hemp is that it can be grown on unproductive land and between seasons and can even be used to enrich soil which has become leached of minerals (US Biodiversity Data, 1997 ). It can also be grown without the use of pesticides because of the presence of its THC that eliminates insects and pests unlike of other textiles and paper products, such as cotton which requires large amounts of pesticides and today is the most polluting of all agricultural industries. Hemp, like any other trees, absorbs of course also carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas responsible for accelerated climate change. So the more marijuana to be planted when it is legalized while at the same time saving big trees is the better it could be for our environment specially for combatting climate change.
Conclusion
The legalization therefore of marijuana is not a threat but rather an opportunity to grasp on the advantages that marijuana could offer in medicine, in country’s economy and in environment. Our findings show that marijuana is pharmaceutical that can be used in treating diseases. Economically, marijuana could be a great additional source of income tax while at the same time eliminating the expensive costs relating to its prohibition once it is legalized. And the plantation of marijuana could be an agent of saving the environment as a substitute for paper production instead of big trees, so they will be preserved for the benefit of our environment.
Thus, the probation of marijuana can be seen not as a wise enactment as it denies the good qualifications of the drug for a better and productive use. Good are for those countries who have allowed the use of marijuana creatively which they may set as a model for other states planning to push for the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized because it has the contributing factor over why it has to be.
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© Authors: Paul Huelma & Jane Anacio
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