How Marijuana Benefits Kindergarteners

The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013 does not have a title with much "zing" to it. Its message, however, has a better chance of catching on. As the lengthy name implies, the bill's primary focus is to end marijuana's status as an illicit substance on the federal level, thereby promoting each of the states' right to choose independently whether or not to legalize the drug. Additionally, the act 

The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013 (H. R. 499) currently stagnates in Committee. The prognosis for the bill is, quite frankly, dismal. It is descended from a measure of the same name brought forth by former representative Barney Frank in 2011(H. R. 2306), a proposal that sputtered before quietly dying. Few missed it after its passing. 

H. R. 499, however, has a factor that separates it from its 2011 predecessor. It is sponsored by Representative Jared Polis of Colorado (image below), a state that has recently drawn attention to itself for being the second in the union for legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. 

Oh, God...Colorado? That pit of moral decay? Well, of course they would be the ones who would want drugs legalized. They're probably all too high for politics anyway!

Those are the same potheads who estimate that they will rake in "collect about $134 million in taxes from recreational and medical marijuana for the fiscal year beginning in July," according to the New York Times's account of Gov. John W. Hickenlooper. Furthermore, over 70% of this revenue has been sworn to schools, including programs involving a comprehensive education program concerning the threat of drugs to young people; substance abuse rehabilitation, to ensure that those addicted to marijuana recieve help rather than jailtime for their mental health issues; and an increased police presence in the state. And these numbers are only the beginning. Change in this state has also begun to arrive as the drug dealers have begun to leave, taking a good deal of the gangs and violence with which they are associated with them. 

Of course, there is a potential downside that some have pointed out: The state may end up spending all their revenue from the drug business on the aforementioned increased police force, since they will need to guard the borders of Colorado from those wishing to smuggle contraband marijuana into other states. 

Of course, that wouldn't be an issue if pot went legal nationwide, and if every state went the way of those filthy druggies in Colorado. 

New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/us/colorado-expects-to-reap-tax-bonanza-from-legal-marijuana-sales.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=1

Rep. Jared Polis's website: http://polis.house.gov

The Why

Hello, and welcome to my blog concerning the promotion of the federal legalization of marijuana. I realize that an informational piece such as this post might be better suited for the "About Me" section on my account, but I want to make it more apparent for any newcomers to see. Here, in other words, I want to explain the "why": Why should a quiet, sober teenager in a quiet, (mostly) sober suburb care about the prevalence of pot in the nationwide community?

The fact is that no wide-eyed little baby is born with political convictions--we get those from learning, from experiencing. If I had grown up in different surroundings and with different educational influences, etc., it is not at all unlikely that I would have developed different opinions. Therefore, I believe in sharing some of my background in order to give some inkling of the origins of the ideas that will be expressed in this blog. The Greeks called this ethos. Today, we merely call it credibility. 

I am a young, sixteen-year-old, Caucasian female living in northern Chicagoland. I was raised by a largely Catholic family, and though I personally no longer follow the faith, some of my early education in the religion's dogma has shaped my moral compass in the world. I was not a part of the violence for which my city is infamous, for which it has been renowned for so long. I was the neighbor to the horrors that occur so frequently in some select areas of Chicago. But I was that neighbor living several doors down, the one with the backyard enclosed by a fence that was too tall to see over. 

As aforementioned, I do not use weed. I never have used any drug for recreational purposes, illegal or not. I have seen enough destruction in my family due to the legal ones alone, from tobacco-related deaths spanning three generations to alcoholism. (And if you believe President Obama's controversial remark about booze being more threatening than pot, you may recognize a certain double standard that I have begun to see.) 

So why do I care about legalizing marijuana for reasons beyond the medical? Not for myself, certainly. I have no use for the drug. 

I care because the Cook County Jail is currently around 1,000 people over capacity, stuffed to the brim with nonviolent offenders who, many of whom sell and use marijuana as a deadly lifeline. I care because they wallow in prisons and are starved of proper rehabilitation in the meanwhile. I care because the overcrowded conditions result in an estimated 5% of inmates who have been awaiting trial for two years. I care because the lack of proper regulation contributes to the ongoing reign of the gangs and contributes to the reason why Chicago remains the most racially and economically segregated city in the US. 

And this is only one city. 

If you have another opinion--if your experience and your reason tells you to disagree--by all means, please discuss it with me. However, I would appreciate it if you would bring sufficient evidence to your argument so that a legitimate and productive discussion may be had. I will remain civil to you, and I hope that you will respect me by doing the same.