When alcohol was banned by the 18th Amendment, launching the prohibition era, drinking culture went underground. The roaring ‘20s became synonymous with partying and drinking. Today, we still live under a type of prohibition.
Marijuana remains illegal for all uses in North Carolina and 20 other states. Despite these laws, marijuana is popular and easily accessible for most people who want to acquire it. The 1960s might be most closely associated with pot smoking, but these days weed is much more popular than it used to be. Just like with prohibition, marijuana laws seem too unrealistic to justify continuing them.
Many of the nation’s laws against marijuana originate from xenophobic sentiments against the culture of immigrants coming from Mexico and South America — not for any health reasons.
While there are certainly potential health risks associated with smoking weed, they are not a counter-argument given that we allow other unhealthy substances like tobacco and alcohol.
Keeping marijuana illegal for economic reasons doesn’t make much sense either. We can look at states where both medical and recreational pot smoking is legal and see great economic benefits. The classic example is Colorado, where the weed industry tops $1 billion in sales with the added benefit of bringing in over $100 million in tax revenue — which helps pay for schools, law enforcement and other civil services.
This added revenue should excite any politician, regardless of party or ideology. Heck, it is even a win for libertarian and limited government conservatives — more money, one less regulation. Ideally, too, legalization will lead to fewer arrests and misdemeanor charges bogging down the legal system.
In a practical sense, weed has been legalized by the people who smoke it. There are consequences to getting caught, but pot is so frequently bought and sold, it is nearly impossible for any state to universally enforce the law.
Clearly, everyone has the right not to smoke marijuana if they don’t choose to do so. But keeping the drug illegal for everyone is impractical.
Why write about this now? There is growing momentum in North Carolina to legalize marijuana smoking for the masses. The Marijuana Policy Project suspects legislation for medical marijuana will be introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly this year, but that is dependent on public support.
