An article written by Temple University junior Tom Rowan in this week’s The Temple News, said that approximately 47% of college students and 57% of young adults, ages 19 to 28, have used marijuana for most of their lives, according to a study preformed by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Many people today are using this easy-to-access drug to unwind from a stressful week or just as a means of social activity on the weekend. However, the repercussions of these actions can result in loss of a job, expulsion from school, and harsh legal action. But what if smoking marijuana was legal? Under reign of President-elect Barack Obama, this unspeakable vision may have some potential of becoming a reality.
In 2004, Obama said, during an appearance at Northwestern University, that he believes the “war on drugs has been a failure, and I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.” Although he does not believe in the full legalization of the drug, he claimed that he does support using marijuana for medical reasons and lessening the legal action taken if one if found possessing it. The word decriminalize, in this case, means that the possession of a small amount of marijuana, an ounce or so, for personal use would not be grounds for arrest, but would be ticketable to the degree of the same fine you may expect for jay walking. However, possession of more than an ounce at a time, growing the plant in one’s home, or selling it still would remain crimes despite the decriminalization laws.
Along with his views on lessening the impact of the laws, Obama also said he believed that there was beneficial use in marijuana within medical use, stating that there is little difference between Marijuana and Morphine for relief of pain. NBC’s Aswini Anburajan quoted Obama in an article written in 2007 saying, “My attitude is if the science and the doctors suggest that the best palliative care and the way to relieve pain and suffering is medical marijuana then that's something I'm open to … when it comes to just giving people relief from pain,” Obama said. “But I want to do it under strict guidelines. I want it prescribed in the same way that other painkillers or palliative drugs are prescribed.” Obama’s main concern in marijuana use for medical assistance, however, was that the need for some weed would cause people to come up with absurd reasons for using the drug.
While it seemed that Obama was in favor of partial legalization of cannabis, a spokesperson for the then presidential candidate rejected the statement in 2008, saying that he was unsure of the meaning of the word decriminalization, but that it is true that he would like to lessen the laws for first-time offenders, keeping these people out of prison. Obama stated that his belief was that there were too many people in jail for this reason, and that the space used for holding these ‘criminals’ could be better put to use for harder drug offenders. However, in another interview, Obama stated that he does not believe in taking legal action for the use of medical marijuana.
Unbeknownst to many people, Barack Obama has also had his share in ‘smoking the reefer.’ According to Anburajan, Obama stated to a group of high school students that he himself had “experimented with drugs in high school.” During an interview with Jay Leno on his late night show, Leno asked if Obama ever inhaled marijuana. Obama, laughing, said that he in fact did. “The point was to inhale,” said Obama. He later admitted that he had made a mistake by smoking the drug, as many young adults and teens do.
Although the statements were recently retracted, it is public knowledge that President-elect Barack Obama was, at one point, in full favor of partial legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. Whether this will ever happen is uncertain. We’ll just have to see how the next four years of his presidency pan out.
What do you think of the possible decriminalization of Marijuana? Do you agree/disagree with the policy? Post your comments and feedback to the blog and share your opinions.
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