State legislature could decriminalize marijuana
A bill currently under consideration in the Connecticut General Assembly could provide the most dramatic change to state narcotics law in recent history.
Late last month, the legislative body’s Judiciary Committee approved a law to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, greatly reducing the penalty for possession of less than one ounce. While it lowers the disincentives for possessing marijuana, the bill will also decrease the burden on Connecticut’s criminal justice system and help ease the state’s budget crisis.
Currently, possession of one ounce of...
Thank to to #1, very well said. You are absolutely right. Yale students who use illegal drugs cause tremendous damage to society through funding criminals. Giving criminals money really nullifies any kind of community service or public service work you try to do. Few things are as damaging as well-funded drug dealers in our streets. If you care at all about New Haven, or inner-cities, or Mexico, please stop using drugs!
Better option: grow your own
Much of the debate on the legalization of marijuana focuses on the relatively benign aspects of cannabis use. There are many valid points to be made in that debate (marijuana use does indeed have significant risks and side effects, from the carcinogenic effects of smoking to CNS effects such as impaired judgment, depression and insomnia, though it can be argued that these effects are similar in severity to either alcohol or tobacco), however many fail to consider the consequences of supporting the illegal drug trade in the debate. The massive black-market industry of bringing illegal drugs to the streets (and your dorm room) is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people each year and is has brought numerous nations to their collective knees with well-funded violence and terror, from Colombia to Afghanistan to Mexico. It also is the most important base of income for gangs and organized crime in cities across America and across the world, funding their guns and their violence. The crime that comes with drug turf is in turn responsible for keeping neighborhoods and inner-city populations "in the gutter" so to speak, in a state of fear, neglect and poverty. As one of the most profitable drugs on the market, the illegal marijuana trade has caused the suffering of millions.
While I personally support the legalization of marijuana, until the black market is addressed through the legalization of the SALE of marijuana I cannot fully embrace its decriminalization. While I think that the positive benefits for both marijuana users themselves and the state's general fund are clear, we cannot ignore the secondary effects of marijuana use.
If you yourself use marijuana, please think about this the next time you buy or even take a hit off a friend. Push hard for the legalization of the sale of marijuana, but until that is achieved (which will require a change in federal law) it is irresponsible to consider marijuana use a victimless crime.