Ya man!

A joint a day keeps the gray hair away! I’m joking. Seriously, I don’t know how to start this debate without sounding like I’m totally high on dope but here it goes. First of all, we need to accept the truth and that is veto has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana. Second of all, there is no good reason for it not to be legal. For those of you who have no idea what we are on about, marijuana or ‘ganja’ as it is prevalently known, is a herb Rastafarians are commonly associated with. However, I must make it clear that not all Rastafarians smoke the plant. It is not used as a drug or something to get high on; on the contrary it is of spiritual aid. According to Rastafarians it gives insight and also helps with meditation. From what I know, there has never been a law against meditation. I have also noted that the most peaceful people I have come across are Rastafarians, the same people everyone thinks are disturbing the peace. They believe that Jah (God) created ganja for use. A virtuous Rasta is actually anti-drugs and will refrain from things like heroin and cocaine; some even tobacco and alcohol because they are manmade or adapted with chemicals as opposed to the natural herb. Various religions instruct their followers to use the plant. Just like Christianity allows the use of alcohol on certain occasions, some Hindus, Buddhists and other religions use weed as part of their spiritual and religious ceremonies. They deserve the freedom to practice their religion whichever way they see fit. From an idealistic perspective, what happened to free will? Individuals have the right to make choices for themselves. The government should only limit those choices if the user becomes a danger to someone else. They can also limit individual measures if the actions pose a mammoth threat to the individual. I wonder, if marijuana is illegal, shouldn’t tobacco and alcohol be illegalized too seeing as the herb is of a far less threat than the two? If people were given the right to choose whether to drink or smoke, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be the same with weed. Compared to alcohol, marijuana is out-and-out tame in terms of negative effects. Plus, just to set the record straight, no one has ever died of a marijuana overdose! True story.’ Sure, this doesn’t prohibit the leeway of experiencing adverse or unpleasant effects if consumed in large amounts – hence the government’s intervention. Because the truth of the matter is, marijuana does impair short term memory but only during intoxication. For health’s sake, marijuana can be used as medicine because it helps stimulate appetite and it relieves nausea in cancer and AIDS patients. Let us have a heart for our ill brothers and sisters and not deny them something that could possibly make the ordeal bearable. How would you feel if you were under par and the only thing that could make you feel better was illegal? That’s what I thought. Further so, my good friend ‘Wikipedia’ says that research done by Scripps Research Institution in California shows that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, prevents the formation of deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. THC was found to prevent an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase from accelerating the configuration of ‘Alzheimer plaques’ in the brain more effectively than commercially marketed drugs. Talk about weird science! It’s obvious that what people worry about the most if weed were legalized is the abuse of the material. But have we stopped to think that maybe, just maybe if it were legal, people might actually learn to be civil with it? I mean when it’s illegal, an individual is tempted to consume it all lest heshe is grabbed with it. I don’t know; it’s just my thinking. Proscription is based on lies and disinformation. The dangers of its use have been widely exaggerated and modern science does not support the reefer madness predictions at any time since its birth. It has been verified over the years that marijuana can be used reasonably without harmful impacts to the individual or society for that matter. rachelgaruka@yahoo.co.uk