Camille Amos and Mark Braboy
Staff Writers
The pros and cons of the legalization of marijuana is a discussion being held by many state governments in the U.S., even Mississippi.
According to their website, The Marijuana Policy Project, envisions a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm.
According to MPP, the Mississippi Alliance for Cannabis is in the process of collecting more than 100,000 signatures for Ballot Initiative 48 by Oct. 2, 2015. This initiative, if passed, would allow the voters in Mississippi to decide in the 2016 general election whether to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for adults.
Students at Jackson State University are weighing in on the national discussion of the legalization of marijuana. Some view marijuana as bad and harmful while others see it as harmless and useful.
Carleigh Smith, a sophomore elementary education major from Brandon, Miss. said “I don’t smoke but to each his own. I don’t smoke because I don’t want to be out of my own control and smoke messes with my throat.”
Smith also states that she does not want to get emotionally dependent on it.
Kyle Witt, a senior computer engineering major from Pickens, Miss. said, “I feel that a lot of money is wasted in attempting to keep people incarcerated for marijuana related offenses which are non violent offenses.”
According to Medicalmarijuana.org, one of the negative aspects of “smoked marijuana” is that it damages the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. It impairs learning and interferes with memory, perception, and judgment. Smoked marijuana also contains cancer-causing compounds and has been implicated in a high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents.”
Medicalmarijuana.org also states that evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. Marijuana is also less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.
Iman Beckman, a junior biology major from Atlanta, Ga. said, “I feel like it should (legalized) because it helps you actually think. Some people are calmer while smoking.”
The website further asserts that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco use. Around 50,000 people are killed every year from alcohol poisoning. When it comes to tobacco, about 400,000 people died each year. When comparing marijuana to the two, it is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose.
Behind tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is the third most used drug. More than 100 million Americans have tried marijuana before and 14 million still use it on a regular basis.
There are currently 24 states that allow medical marijuana use. There are only two states that allow recreational usage of cannabis; those states are Washington and Colorado.
Marijuana has become a lucrative business for Denver, Colo. According to the denverpost.com, Colorado recorded its biggest recreational marijuana tax haul yet in April, topping more than $3.5 million in sales and excise taxes. Over the entire year, the state made about $18 million off recreational marijuana.
Keiara Reynolds, a sophomore biology/pre health major from Naperville, Ill. said, “I am pro-choice. If you choose to smoke marijuana or not, it is your decision. I am for the legalization of marijuana.”
Students should be aware that Jackson State abides by the laws of the state of Mississippi. Marijuana and any kind of paraphernalia are strictly prohibited. Any student who is caught will face penalties that range from a $200 – $500 fine, counseling, suspension, expulsion, or loss of privileges.
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