How Legalized Cannabis Would Help Everyone.
Today we take a look at an ‘elevating’ topic and think about all the reasons that cannabis prohibition is a terrible idea.
Hello, friends,
Last week, we talked about climate change and the smoke that was blanketing the North-East. Yes, I am making a transitionary joke about a totally different smoke. It’s known by many names: Pot, weed, herb, grass, marijuana, Mary-Jane, and at one point in my life “spell components.” It has a distinct odor and taste. It’s intoxicating.
This week we’re talking about cannabis.
An Upfront Disclaimer
I am not a doctor or pharmaceutical worker. Any drug is going to have physiological effects, and I am not straight-up encouraging people to go out and get fucked up. Be responsible. It’s not really my place to tell you to do a drug. Playing with your brain chemistry is always tricky, so treat it with respect.
Cannabis As A Drug
Let’s start with the basics: Yes, cannabis is a drug.
Cannabis contains a number of psychoactive substances generally referred to as Cannabinoids. Our body contains receptors for this substances. Once you take a dose of cannabis, these substances eventually enter your blood stream and get to your brain, where it starts having effects.
The effects are somewhat commensurate with the dose you took, and are generally specific to the individual taking it. No two highs will look alike. If you took a little, maybe you’ll feel floaty, maybe colors will sharpen, and that might be about it. If you took a lot, you might experience feelings very strongly; so powerfully that you might even have an anxiety attack from it. Getting an accurate dose is tricky at best; each plant produces a slightly different amount of psychoactive substances, and even (at least, in my personal experience) medical-grade chews can be inconsistent about their potency.
Again: Playing with your brain chemistry is always tricky.
And, yet, since cannabis is a drug, it can be used for more than just recreation - it is (at least, in my personal experience) a potent pain management tool. I’ve talked before about how we need to treat chronic pain better, and cannabis is one route being investigated to help people like me get through a life buried in layers of pain..
However, as this study on the topic repeatedly points out, cannabis is federally prohibited as a Schedule One drug, suggesting there is no medical benefit to the drug. This is patently absurd, a fact recognized by an ever-growing number of states which have declared it legal with respect to their authority. While there is no small amount of tension between federal and state authorities, thus far the feds have - for the most part - respected state-level decision making.
The Ethics And Logistics Of Cannabis Prohibition
Remember when the United States created a Constitutional amendment to prohibit alcohol? How’d that go? Oh, right - we quickly repealed it. 1920-1933. In the meantime, what happened? Many people died from accidental poisoning as they failed in the alcohol-distillation department, people were thrown in jail for what they put in their own bodies, and criminal organizations rose up to provide illicit access to alcohol at the cost of great societal violence.
Al Capone is a legend for a reason, and it ain’t a good one.
It’s the kind of historical lesson that makes you say, “hmm, maybe we shouldn’t be telling other people what they can and cannot put in their bodies?” But, I also believe in regulation: What you’re told you’re getting should be at least kind of close to what you’re getting. Alcohol is legal, but mass-production requires licenses and the like.
There’s no reason the same couldn’t be true of cannabis. It’s true they are different drugs, but there’s a long-standing debate about which is more dangerous, and that wouldn’t be happening with drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin. Now, the question is still “maybe we shouldn’t be telling other people what they can and cannot put in their bodies,” meaning we might be having a conversation similar to this one about other drugs in the future - but at the very least we must recognize that cannabis has significant potential as a medication, right?
But since our laws don’t even do that, why wouldn’t I question whether or not cannabis should be available recreationally?
I mean, the answer is, “Yes, it should be available recreationally.”
But maybe you don’t care that it can help people. Maybe you only see the negatives? “Cannabis use can have negative consequences, so it should be illegal.” Okay, but here are some other negatives: Making something illegal means the government has the authority to enforce compliance. Disobedient people get punished, typically with incarceration. Their lives are entirely ruined.
And if you don’t give a flying fuck about that fact, either - if you’re one of those “Well, it’s their fault for breaking society’s rules” people - then consider the cost to the taxpayer of keeping someone in prison: Easily as much as $100,000/year, if not more. In case you were wondering, that’s as much as an Ivy League education - again, if not more.
Wondering where all your money goes when it gets taxed?
It goes to keeping people behind bars.
Which we’ll talk about a little more next week.
Oh, and in an experiment with planning ahead: June 30th is gonna be a Pride edition.
So How Do We Fix It?
I almost forgot to write this part: It probably requires changes to the Controlled Substances Act. That means we need to have control of Congress to get much done - and, as we’ll see in In Other News, well, that’s far from the only reason we need to get control of Congress.
In Other News…
Like I said, I want to try to learn more about prison reform/abolition for next week, and I’d like to hear in the comments what I can do to effectively tackle that topic, since it’s pretty far out of my wheelhouse.
The Republican Dream is apparently a starving child, as they hope to cut back on how many children receive free lunch at school. This is part of an effort to - if I am reading this rabbit hole right - make such wonderful changes as crippling Social Security. You know, for when you get to feeling like “both parties are the same,” or something. I didn’t say either is perfect, mind you, but they ain’t the same.
Republicans are trying to tie Trans rights to a ‘must pass’ military spending bill, to which I say - “Then let it fail.” Again - they ain’t the same.
Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers significance passed away. Condolences and respect.
Disney’s popularity hasn’t changed, but Ron DeSantis’ has. Something to consider when down in the trenches.
Thank you for reading The Progressive Cafe. If this article has helped you, please consider signing up for our mailing list. This article is by Jesse Pohlman, a sci-fi/fantasy author from Long Island, New York, whose website you can check out here.