Don't Fear The Reefer

Marijuana

My hometown of San Francisco is known for it’s fight for gay marriage. For years, San Francisco residents have fought to legalize gay marriage. Each year the gay community’s strength is represented through parades and resistance. San Francisco is one city that accepts diversity and resistance. This same city that has fought to legalizing gay marriage is the same city that is in a the fight to legalize marijuana. The fight for legalizing marijuana has been an ongoing battle. In 1970, many places in the United States started to abolish state laws that banned possession or sale of marijuana. In 2014, states are still trying to get marijuana legalized and California is one of these states. Just like the ban against same sex marriage, the ban against marijuana is oppressive and constricting. Marijuana should be legalized for a number of reasons, and all reasons point to a basic human right: the right to pursue happiness. xx

Currently, many people are being criminalized for using marijuana. Within many poor communities, selling marijuana is a source of income for many people. With the current law, people can be arrested for attempting to provide for their families. With low employment opportunities, selling marijuana is a reasonable occupation, which means that banning the sale of marijuana also means banning the right to provide for someone’s family. With marijuana being legalized, it can cut down on the the arrests  in poor communities.  Also, if the sale and use marijuana is legalized,  police can focus on bigger problems, some being the sale and use of drugs that have been proven to do real harm. It does not make much sense to focus on banning a substance that is proven to give comfort to cancer patients and those who are suffering from glaucoma. As a city, state and country, we have other issues that are more important to focus on, like poverty.

Legalizing marijuana provides legal jobs that will not be connected to jail.  Currently, if someone is arrested for selling marijuana or using marijuana, they can be charged with a D felony. Their felony makes it difficult for them to gain other jobs, which creates a cycle of illegal activity and poverty.  Many people that smoke marijuana do not have a history with breaking the law, but in order for them to smoke, they have to break the law. It seems as if we are more invested in arresting people than providing employment opportunities.

Unlike California, there are some states that have legalized marijuana such as Oregon and also Colorado.  According to an economic study, “legalizing marijuana has produced an additional $38.5 million in taxes for Oregon in the first year.” Are we more interested in policing people that it takes priority over gaining more resources for our state?

As an educated black male that has encountered marijuana on several occasions, I find it challenging to believe that I could be criminalized at any moment. I have several people in my family and close community that smoke and I have never come to see them as criminals. I am fearful of where we are headed as a city, state and nation if we deny people of their basic human rights, even when research-based evidence proves that there is nothing problematic about consuming marijuana.

http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2014/07/legalizing_marijuana_in_oregon.html