This an op-ed I wrote for The DePaulia comparing marijuana and its common assumptions, and comparing them to other harmful substances.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about marijuana. With the annual ‘holiday’ of 4/20 (essentially Marijuana Day) having passed recently, it feels right to discuss a few issues I have with the public perception of this ‘drug.
Throughout the twentieth-century, people scapegoated marijuana as a terrible drug that should be frowned upon. Why? What exactly is so terrible about it?
Since the rise of the Internet, common people have been seeing the true effects of marijuana on their own, not through cheesy public service announcements on television that portray it as a drug where one has no control. Trust me, you’d be better off driving after hitting a joint than after a couple drinks (Please don’t do either of these).
Yes, inhaling smoke will always be detrimental to your health, but some of the old allocations of marijuana and its effect on your health are not.
Take for instance the myth that it affects mental health. That is simply not true. Medical journals and newspapers such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the London Telegraph say there is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. There have been numerous scientific journals from doctors all over the world that show that the drug has temporary mental effects, at best. You’d have a better chance with alcohol.
As for addictiveness… Well, there is none, so take that cigarettes!
In fact, if you look at the causes of death within the past decade in America on, marijuana is dead last with zero related deaths. ZERO! Compare that to the two of the top causes: tobacco and alcohol.
According to the website drugwarfacts.org, in the year 2000 alone, tobacco and alcohol accounted for more than 520,000 deaths. The next cause ahead of marijuana is anti-inflammatory drugs, and there were 7,600 deaths in that category.
The thing about marijuana is that you cannot overdose on it. If you keep smoking continuously within a brief timeframe, you’ll probably just fall asleep or eat an entire bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos.
In the comedy film Walk Hard, there is a scene where Tim Meadows’ character is trying to convince John C. Reilly’s character to not join them in smoking ‘reefer.’ Reilly’s character rolls out a list of questions about the drug since he’s never tried it. Meadows counters with answers like, “It doesn’t give you a hangover,” “it makes sex even better,” “it’s non-habit forming,” and “it’s the cheapest drug there is.” The best part of the whole scene is that everything Meadows says is true.
Ask any ‘stoner’ (I’m sure you know at least one), and they can attest to all of those answers, especially the hangover part because marijuana is often used as a hangover remedy.
The cheapness of the drug is probably one of the biggest appeals. In the Chicagoland area, an eighth of an ounce costs $40-60 depending on quality. A single gram of cocaine can cost nearly as much, and has worse repercussions with addictiveness and mental health. The same can be said for heroine, meth, and painkillers like oxycodon.
The fact that marijuana is illegal is not the problem. It’s the amount of arrests made for possessing small amounts of the drug with no intent on distributing. According to projectcensored.org, arrests for marijuana possession have increased in the past decade, while arrests for possession of cocaine and heroine have declined. That’s not surprising considering the openness that a lot of people have with marijuana, but the statistic that makes no sense is that marijuana possession arrests exceed arrests for all violent crimes COMBINED!
Remember that everyday people are driving home drunk, J-walking, and working without green cards or a visa. Yet, a 20-year-old will be arrested for possession because they ‘looked suspicious.” They’ll have marijuana on them, but they won’t be hurting anyone. At the same time, another criminal will get only a years probation for shooting someone. How is that just?
Look, I’m not the guy who’s lobbying for marijuana to be legalized. There will always be ways to obtain it, regardless of law. The point I’m trying to make is that marijuana is not nearly as harmful to your health as many legal substances are.
So, does it make sense to live in a world where the perception is the opposite of the truth? You be the judge.
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