Thursday, October 11, 2007
Inequities of Regulation
Marijuana has been identified as a substance that can be used for medicinal purposes since the mid 1880s. When the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1941, the American Medical Association (AMA) was one of the most vocal protestors of the ban because of the obvious medical purposes of marijuana (NORML). It’s the only true medicine used to treat some rare muscular diseases and glaucoma. Even with the proven scientific research and support for marijuana medically, it is not regulated the same was as other blackballed substances like tobacco and alcohol. Tobacco and alcohol have no medicinal purposes and have only been shown to cause damage to the body. Tobacco and alcohol are regulated and sold legally while marijuana is banned and has an unjustly greater negative connotation than that of alcohol and tobacco. It’s not fair for the government to be against regulating a product that has less medical drawbacks than that of products in a similar class.
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4 comments:
Before reading this blog I had not heard of the Marijuana Tax Act. I believe that if marijuana was legal many people would not smoke it. However it is a good idea.
I had never heard of the Marijuana Tax Act either. I knew that it was used for medicine because it helped my sister once when she had to go to the hospital. So I agree that it should be legalized. I don't understand why they can make tobacco and alcohol legal, but not marijuana. I don't know of that many people that use it anyway. It would seem like they would want to do whatever was necessary if it meant saving lives.
Although I am unsure of where I stand on legalization of marijuana I completely agree that it is much better for the body than tabacco use and alcohol. If we have marijuana banned we should also outlaw those substances.
Marijuana's harmful effects are easily less threatening than those of tobacco and alcohol. There is obviously a lack of logic when there are less harmful effects. The negative ethical appeal of marijuana facilitates greater regulation and restriction than that of alcohol and tobacco.
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