

It is “High” Time for Legalization


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What’s up guys? Let’s talk about marijuana.


I believe the fact that pot is illegal is an infringement on our civil rights, a waste of taxpayer money and law enforcement resources, and just does not make sense.

Obviously, my friend Devin Wallace is not the only liberal nut on our blog. Although, he does make me look like Ronald Reagan in comparison sometimes. I am definitely on the left side of the political spectrum, but I’m not in the completely separate ballpark that Devin is in.

I don’t know why I haven’t blogged about politics. I am very active in what’s going on in the world, and I honestly thought it’s what I would be mostly writing about (I almost went into the New Visions Law and Government program instead of this one.)

So, in order to get my foot in the door, I figured I would start with one of the cliché staples of liberalism. The legalization of wacky tabacky.

First, let’s take a look at the two main legal substances out there: alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

Alcohol, if used responsibly, can be just fine and make a night go from fun to really fun. However, it’s a very dangerous thing if abused. If too much alcohol is consumed, people can become irate, depressed, and confused to the point of harming themselves or others. Their judgment can become so clouded that they do things they would never do sober, and those things they do can ruin lives. Also, there is a point of no return with binge drinking that can lead to death.

Tobacco is even worse. I have never understood anyone who smokes cigarettes. Booze and pot alters your mind and gives you a high, which can make experiences more fun. Cigarettes get their hooks deep within you and then drain your life with each puff. So, in addition to doing nothing for you, it is the deadliest legal substance out there.

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So marijuana, which cannot directly kill you and impairs your judgment far less than alcohol, is the one that’s illegal? The least harmful of the three, is the one that people do time for?

I wouldn’t say that everyone can go smoke weed and they will have no consequences from their actions while under its influence, or experience health problems. However, I truly believe marijuana is safer than either of the two things we can buy legally.

We all know what happens when the government tries to make something of this nature illegal. When the government tried with booze in the 1920′s, it failed miserably.

survey done by the government showed that in a given month, 17 million people in America had used marijuana. This alone shows that prohibition of weed now is just as ineffective as alcohol prohibition was almost 100 years ago. Yet, as un-enforceable and impractical as it is, the law still stands.

Enforcement is also a serious drain on taxpayer money. According to government reports, enforcing marijuana prohibition costs $42 billion annually.

In addition, the fact that some people are doing time in jail for using pot is injustice at its finest. Those people need to be freed immediately, for the government is robbing them of their time on this earth to impose their morals and beliefs on the masses.

Courtesy of AP

The police officers of this country could be spending their time catching murders and rapists, instead of using their manpower and tax money to put good people in jail over their own choices.

A huge majority of people who use marijuana are good people, who like to smoke and then eat Doritos all day. That hardly sounds like they’re hurting anyone, or deserve jail time.

If pot were legal, we would be rolling in the dope (see what I did there?!)  Tax revenue for cigarettes is well into the billions. If you take away the wasted money being put into enforcing marijuana prohibition, and add tobacco esque taxes when it’s sold on store shelves, we would be making quite a lot of money to build roads and schools.

It’s basic math.  My example is very simplistic, but if pot were legal and we taxed it, there without a doubt would be a net gain in tax income.

It is just not fair to the people who want to use marijuana. It has been smoked for 5000 years, so how is it fair to force people to stop because of our modern stigmas and beliefs?

Weed does not make you into a bad person. It does not make you murder, steal, or cheat. Do not let propaganda of the federal government trick you into thinking that.

The only thing that makes you a criminal when you light up is a piece of paper that some politician wrote. I propose we take that piece of paper, roll it up, and smoke it out of existence.

Zack Kilmer, College at Brockport

8 Responses

  1. Devin Wallace says:

    Good, one more person has seen the light on the absurdity of our government’s position toward marijuana.

    The government will lock up people with a plant in their pocket, but they turn their eyes when reckless individuals destroy our financial system and wreak havoc on the lives of hardworking citizens.

  2. etc says:


    Or decriminalize?


  3. Zack Kilmer says:

    @etc I am for full fledged legalization. However, I would welcome decriminalization as a good step forward.

  4. etc says:

    I’m for decriminalization. A lot of people I know now rue the days of when they were smoking marijuana. Overuse can destroy one’s motivation.

    Decriminalization of MJ keeps users from going to jail but also creates a disincentive to use it. Kind of like taxes on cigarettes.

    Happy Thanksgiving!


  5. I am SO with you on this one, Zack. I don’t understand why they aren’t taxing it and there are SO many benefits to legalization…

  6. u2 says:

    Good essay. Good points towards your effort.

    I ask you this: Would you be steadfast in demanding that LEO treat anyone “driving under the influence of marijuana” just the same as DUI (booze) drivers are handled?

    In my opinion, you cannot have a double standard. If it’s ever legalized, fine, but don’t dare drive a car under the influence.

  7. Zack Kilmer says:

    @u2, I agree 100%. Police should treat people who drive high equally to drunk drivers. Anyone who drives with there mind impaired by anything is a threat to themselves and everyone around them. Laws need to be strict on driving impaired, no matter what the substance.

  8. denbee says:

    I agree with regulations as long as they are current science based, not reefer madness based. For over 70 years we have lied, distorted, and outright bambozzled the People of America concerning marijuana. You would be hard pressed to name 10 young people who believe or trust Uncle Sam. How do you justify creating a law based on racism and fear and lies? Do we just say woops and ignore the injustice?

    ~ Harry Anslinger,
    U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics,
    testifying to Congress on why marijuana should be made illegal

    How the &%*# do you allow a law based on such crap to continue? I always believed that once a wrong is uncovered we work to right it instead of ignoring it while we suck our martinis down. 74 YEARS folks. 74 years and millions of felony drug convictions. Millions of our son’s and daughter’s futures ruined by the lie. But that was not enough though. Forfeiture and seizure of users homes. properties and money would surely teach them a lesson. Hey, take their children too! It would seem like marijuana prohibition was designed to create a jobs program for our police, courts, lawyers, jails and rehab creatures. It certainly has not decreased the number of marijuana users. It certainly has not save lives. Who dies from marijuana use?