Cannabis has been in our history since the beginning of America. One of the laws in the original Jamestown settlement required the colonists to grow hemp. The Constitution of the United States was drafted on hemp paper. George Washington grew hemp on Mount Vernon. And now cannabis is an illegal drug that results in over 850,000 arrests a year and costs taxpayers over ten billion dollars annually. This is probably because marijuana is the third most used recreational drug, behind alcohol and tobacco. One hundred million Americans have admitted to using marijuana, and twenty-five million have smoked in the past year. In addition, those who want to see marijuana legalized account for fifty percent of the population while those who oppose it make up only 46 percent. In light of this, it is no surprise that when the United States government released its new petition site “We the People,” American citizens expressed their immediate urge to see marijuana decriminalized.
The new site, “We the People”, is a government-run petition website that allows citizens to voice their opinions in a more direct manner. However, it does not always mean that those voices are heard. When the website was released on September 1st, 2011, there were immediately petitions that rose through the ranks. Among these few starting petitions were eight separate petitions that called for a reform on marijuana laws, and each quickly gained the 5,000 signatures required. A month later, after the petition gained almost 75,000 signatures, Gil Kerlikowske, a former police chief, issued a response that angered most of the marijuana-using community. A copy of the petition and the response issued can be found here:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/legalize-and-regulate-marijuana-manner-similar-alcohol/y8l45gb1
Users are angry at this response for several reasons. Mainly, they are angry because the response does not answer the question about legalizing it in a manner similar to alcohol. When compared to alcohol (or tobacco for that matter), almost all of the arguments cited in the response become null and void. The people who signed the petition just want to know why alcohol and tobacco consumption is still legal when use is much worse for your health than consuming marijuana. Tobacco kills 435 thousand people a year, and alcohol kills 85 thousand. The mortality rate of marijuana, however, is zero.
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30
My questions are: what do you think about marijuana and why do you think that? State all of your opinions and experiences with the drug.
Also, if interested, this is a response to Kerlikowske from Norml.org, a pro-marijuana organization.
http://blog.norml.org/2011/10/29/white-house-response-to-normls-we-the-people-marijuana-legalization-petition/
The new site, “We the People”, is a government-run petition website that allows citizens to voice their opinions in a more direct manner. However, it does not always mean that those voices are heard. When the website was released on September 1st, 2011, there were immediately petitions that rose through the ranks. Among these few starting petitions were eight separate petitions that called for a reform on marijuana laws, and each quickly gained the 5,000 signatures required. A month later, after the petition gained almost 75,000 signatures, Gil Kerlikowske, a former police chief, issued a response that angered most of the marijuana-using community. A copy of the petition and the response issued can be found here:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/legalize-and-regulate-marijuana-manner-similar-alcohol/y8l45gb1
Users are angry at this response for several reasons. Mainly, they are angry because the response does not answer the question about legalizing it in a manner similar to alcohol. When compared to alcohol (or tobacco for that matter), almost all of the arguments cited in the response become null and void. The people who signed the petition just want to know why alcohol and tobacco consumption is still legal when use is much worse for your health than consuming marijuana. Tobacco kills 435 thousand people a year, and alcohol kills 85 thousand. The mortality rate of marijuana, however, is zero.
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30
My questions are: what do you think about marijuana and why do you think that? State all of your opinions and experiences with the drug.
Also, if interested, this is a response to Kerlikowske from Norml.org, a pro-marijuana organization.
http://blog.norml.org/2011/10/29/white-house-response-to-normls-we-the-people-marijuana-legalization-petition/
Post written by Will Morgan.
