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Come to Rhode Island, Mary Jane, and be sure to bring your purse!

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In the 1938 film “Reefer Madness,” the promotional posters for the movie asserted that “Women cry for it” and “Men die for it.” On the bottom of the poster was the subtitle, “Drug crazed abandon.”

Despite these melodramatic themes, the reality of marijuana usage is somewhat more serene and ordinary.

For the first half of American history, cannabis was simply a marketed organic product. It was used productively for varied purposes. Early in the last century, the evolution of the perception of cannabis and its derivatives had turned from seemingly practical to ill regarded and demonized.

In recent decades, the view of “grass” is greener. For example, Texas state Rep. David Simpson has proposed House Bill 2165 in an attempt to legalize marijuana consumption in the Lone Star State. He stated: “Everything God made is good,” and “Cannabis must be regulated like any other plant.” The representative’s sentiment is much akin to the common perception prior to the 20th century in our country.

Today, the use and accessibility of marijuana is widespread in our nation, legally or illegally. In Rhode Island, we have the highest per-capita consumption in the country. Since the beginning of the 20th century, statutes have been established and modified or strengthened to restrain the cannabis user from indulging themselves. It may be time to change that reality in the Ocean State.

In recent years, social mores have changed and the laws specific to marijuana consumption are dramatically evolving. The amount of latitude to consume cannabis differs from state to state. Overall, the trend is toward liberalization. A majority of United States citizens now favor legalization and taxation of marijuana. This change of paradigm has resulted in decriminalization, and outright legalization in four states and the corresponding beneficial tax revenue. Also, we have seen the inception of medical marijuana centers in several states.

This change in attitude has fostered a movement in the Ocean State to legalize and tax pot. Rhode Island’s own “Doobie Brothers” are state Sen. Joshua Miller (D-District 28) and state Rep. Scott Slater (D-District 10). They have proposed the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. If passed, not only will the cannabis industry emerge from the shadows of the underworld, but the change will ensure the safety and quality of the product and will yield much needed tax revenue.

However, there are those who see a foreboding horizon when they try to grasp the notion of legalization. The most frequently posed interrogatives are usually on the basis of morality and whether or not pot usage is the gateway to a serious addiction.

The question is: should we consider “Mary Jane” a safe and profitable friend to have, or is she a harbinger of harm to our society?

Prior to the beginning of the 20th century, anyone anywhere in the United States could use cannabis at their discretion. In the Patent Medicine Era during the second half of the 19th century, cannabis was available in various forms, including medicinal pastes, liquid elixirs, and “grass” mixed with flavored tobacco as a leisure smoking product. There were misnamed “opium dens,” which were meeting parlors used for the social consumption of cannabis. Simply, marijuana was an acceptable form of recreation and a valued remedy for many human maladies.

From the 1600s in British Colonial America to the passing of the Harrison Act in 1914, marijuana was used in an unbridled fashion. In fact, the father of our country, George Washington, devoted one-third of his fields to cannabis. The cylindrical high growing variety of cannabis is called hemp, which was a favored crop of our first president. Hemp was a common well yielding planting of the era in that it was used to produce rope, among other refinements. Downtrodden field hands, many of whom were slaves, would “smoke stalks” in the course of their laborious workdays. Presumably, this availability made the grueling days in the field a little more bearable.

It was only following the onset of the Temperance Movement of the late 1800s that some activists began to question America’s thirst for not only alcohol, but it’s appetite for cannabis. After organizations like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Total Abstinence Association had prevailed against alcohol with the passing of the 18th Amendment (the Volstead Act, establishing Prohibition), they set their sights on furthering restrictions in regard to the public’s access to drugs. Following that victory, activists and certain political opportunists along with J. Edgar Hoover, head of the then-nascent Federal Bureau of Investigation, eventually impressed so significantly upon the Congress to pass the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law imposed stringent restraints and strong enforcement. The days of liberal access to pot were over.

These restrictions were further strengthened by President Richard M. Nixon signing into law the Controlled Substances Act in 1973. This law classified pot as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. At the signing ceremony, Nixon said pot had “the highest potential for abuse” and was “one of the most dangerous drugs.” As a result, possessors of pot were faced with greater punitive sentences, which lead to an overburdening of the nation’s prisons.

Those who are opposed to legalization usually claim that marijuana is a “gateway drug.” However, the federal government says otherwise. In 1999, the Clinton White House commissioned a study by the National Institute of Medicine to determine the validity of the gateway theory. Their conclusion is found in the following quote from the report: “Marijuana does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse.”

Also, opponents say that users of pot become lackadaisical and slothful. That may be true with overuse, but the same is correct about alcohol. Anyway, since Rhode Island is already number one in pot usage, why not reap the much needed tax revenue from its sale? Currently, an underworld exists to market the product. With legalization, Rhode Island would lessen the burden on the Adult Correctional Institution, would regulate the purity of the product and make it safer, and could realize between $50 million and $60 million in revenue.

Even Jack Cole, from the Retired Law Enforcement Officers of New Jersey, agrees with legalization. He stated: “This will allow police to return to tracking down violent criminals … Prohibition has not worked.”

Our state had legalized medical marijuana in 2006, and the world has not ended. The proposed legislation would involve sensible restrictions that would avoid potential problems.

According to Boston.com, the impending law would require no smoking in public and a minimum age of 21 years. State Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence), when commenting on a previous incarnation of the bill, stated: “It would do wonders to improve our budget situation … Our war on drugs has not been successful on marijuana.”

The representative is right on both counts. The degree of usage in our state has obviously not been curtailed by existing laws; considering our status as number one. Additionally, with an approximate $200 million shortfall in the state budget and greater shortfalls expected in succeeding years, we desperately need the revenue.

Long ago, Mary Jane was welcomed in our society. Then she was banned and citizens were punished for entertaining her. People had to enjoy her company on the sly for threat of arrest. It is time for her to be legitimized once again. She will not do our state any harm. The true reefer madness would be not to avail ourselves of a taxable market that already exists by rejecting legalization.

So, Mary Jane, come to Rhode Island – and bring your purse!

Comments

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  • The Berg

    I disagree with Mr. Curran’s opinions more often than not, but what he’s eloquently written here addresses the issue fantastically. Well said, researched, and done, sir.

    The Berg

    Thursday, March 12, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Marijuana is a gateway drug. It leads to bigger drug killers like cigarettes and alcohol.

    Thursday, March 12, 2015 Report this

  • gezdie

    Lol.. I think the comment above was sarcasm but some may not take it that way so... Most people who have the zealous perspective that MJ is a gateway drug will blindly state that it is and not back it up with any references to peer reviewed studies. The opinion is based on their emotional response to what they have been told and blindly believed because of their misplaced trust in the source of the information. If you want the truth, do your own research and use trusted peer reviewed journals as your source of information.

    I know plenty of people who consume Marijuana that don't drink or smoke. I am one of them. I don't drink because I don't like how it makes me feel the following day and I don't smoke because the few times I tried smoking cigarettes; it had absolutely no effect on me. I don't understand the point of smoking to be honest but maybe something about my biology makes me immune to the effects of nicotine.

    I am not supportive of the reasoning that the state has for trying to legalize this plant because if you look at the bill it is pretty clear that they want to make it as hard as possible for you to grow your own and be self sufficient. This effort is all about money and that is unfortunate.

    Thursday, March 12, 2015 Report this