Proponents of Ballot Measure 2 contend that marijuana is innocuous enough that it shouldn’t be the government’s business if adults want to smoke it. They say prohibition wastes money and doesn’t work, and they argue that legalizing and regulating the drug will get rid of the black market. This will protect kids from drug dealers and keep otherwise law-abiding adults out of jail, they say.
One of these arguments for legalizing marijuana, a powerful psychotropic drug, is that it is less addictive than alcohol or nicotine, and certainly not as dangerous as cocaine and heroin. It’s not “as bad” as tobacco or alcohol, so why ban pot use when these other substances are legal to use (and abuse)?
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The devastating effects of alcohol-related injury and violence are widely known in Alaska communities, where many villages have indeed banned alcohol use and sales. To boast that marijuana is the “lesser of evils” in terms of public health consequences is not a convincing argument for legalizing its use.
Because, like tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is not a benign drug. Marijuana use can lead to poor motivation syndrome and increased rates of schizophrenia and depression. Its use can lead to lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema and even lung cancer. Read More
