S.D. should end marijuana prohibition
Since the end of marijuana prohibition in Washington and Colorado, many states are reconsidering their policies regarding the medicinal plant.
Many of the fallacies that people have believed for so long are quickly being proven wrong, and it’s time South Dakota laws regarding marijuana use and possession are updated to suit the facts rather than the nonsense.
Sensible policies regarding marijuana do not currently exist in South Dakota. Marijuana prohibition simply guarantees that its production and sale are completely unregulated, and this unfortunately sometimes leads to violence.
Taking marijuana off the criminal market would put an end to unnecessary violence.
A liquor or grocery store sells alcohol because they have a license to do so, and this means they cannot sell to minors because it would violate the terms of that license by breaking the law.
The unregulated sale of marijuana means that a seller can run their business from any location with no license, and no motivation to be concerned with the age of any given customer.
In Colorado, you may walk into a dispensary and prove that you are an adult and proceed to purchase quality marijuana that you may smoke in the privacy of your own home, without worrying about becoming a felon if your neighbor decides to call the police.
The end of prohibition in Colorado and Washington has been incredibly beneficial.
Allowing adults to consume marijuana while taxing and strictly regulating its production and sale is not only the logical choice, but it also benefits people who suffer from a variety of conditions which marijuana is likely to treat effectively. Medicinal marijuana can treat muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, nausea from cancer chemotherapy, poor appetite and weight loss caused by chronic illness such as HIV, seizures or nerve pain disorders and Crohn’s disease.
One potential benefit of marijuana use is its ability to aid in weight loss. Studies have shown that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, can increase metabolism and reduce body weight. Additionally, some people have turned to weight loss and vaping as a way to consume marijuana for its potential benefits in weight loss. Vaping is considered a healthier alternative to smoking as it does not involve combustion and may be easier on the lungs. It also helps regulate insulin levels, making it a promising treatment for type 2 diabetes. Additionally, marijuana has been known to reduce stress and anxiety, which can contribute to overeating and weight gain. While more research is needed in this area, these initial findings suggest that marijuana and vaping could be helpful tools for those looking to manage their weight and improve their overall health.
It is a shame that anyone who suffers from any of these ailments is denied a legitimate treatment, and it is even more shameful that a person would be treated like a criminal for doing so in South Dakota.
It is also notable that a recent study by the American Civil Liberties Union concluded that South Dakota was among the top 10 states with the largest racial disparities in marijuana possession arrest rates.
Though people of all races are using marijuana at nearly identical rates, black people in South Dakota are approximately 4.8 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession.
Such a disparity clearly illustrates how appalling prohibition laws are and how negatively they affect society.
South Dakotans must actively fight legislation that seeks to keep the prohibition in effect, because it is an illogical and detrimental system that destroys the lives of many people who can truly benefit from marijuana.
3 thoughts on “S.D. should end marijuana prohibition”
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Those who wish to live in a free society need to accept that this means freedom for all people of that society, not only for certain groups and the activities they happen to enjoy. Obviously in some cases there are extenuating circumstances that warrant intervention with criminal law. In the case of mind-altering drugs we have already set this precedent with alcohol. Cannabis is significantly less harmful than alcohol both to the consumer and especially to others, therefore, if we are to have justice, then the penalties for using, possessing and selling cannabis should be no worse than those of alcohol.
“And it’s just not rational that adults don’t have the choice of using marijuana, but they do for alcohol. Marijuana is less likely to be addictive, it’s less likely to cause car accidents and birth defects, it’s less likely to cause domestic violence. So how do you rationally say that it’s OK to drink alcohol with that profile but it’s not OK to occasionally use marijuana?”
– Dr. Richard Besser, former director of the CDC, ABC’s Chief Health and Medical Editor
“Cannabis is a safer drug than aspirin and can be used long-term without serious side effects. It is never possible for a scientist to say that anything is totally safe. But, at the end of the day, scaremongering does science – and the public – a great disservice. Cannabis is simply not as dangerous as it is being made out to be.”
– Professor Les Iversen, chairman, British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2003.
“I think we consume far more dangerous drugs that are legal: cigarette smoking, nicotine and alcohol, I feel they cause much more devastating effects physically. We need to lift the prohibition on marijuana.”
– Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders
Let’s end this futile attempt to eradicate a popular substance that a majority of Americans believe should be legal. A vote for cannabis legalization condemns a prohibition that causes more harm than it prevents. This prohibition is very costly (money is only a small part of these costs), senseless, unjust, unfounded, harmful, and un-American. Please consider what the following cannabis legalization organizations have to say. Help end this prohibition by joining their mailing lists, signing their petitions and writing your legislators when they call for it.
MPP – The Marijuana Policy Project – http://www.mpp.org
DPA – Drug Policy Alliance – http://www.drugpolicy.org
NORML – National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws – http://norml.org
LEAP – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – http://www.leap.cc
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The only problem I see with legalizing marijuana is the fact that people believe it will end violent crimes related to selling marijuana. This does not make sense to me considering marijuana is a plant that anyone can grow. Therefore, dealers will still sell even without a license because they will be able to sell for less than any of the law abiding dispensary shops.