Truth, justice, and liberty. Three powerful words that are ensconced deep in our national psyche.
And, three words that provide a foundation from which cannabis activists can draw confidence and vigor. Our opponents are on the other side of the fence from these three words.
Truth
The truth about cannabis? It is a plant that has been used by humans for thousands of years in thousands of ways. It’s a useful fiber, a nutritious seed, a natural and effective medicine, an enhancer of experience, and an element of social ritual. It is remarkably non-toxic; no one has died from overdose. It has been studied and studied and studied, and found to be relatively benign, with some therapeutic benefits and a very low potential for addiction. Driving under the influence is not advisable, but nowhere near as dangerous as alcohol. It is incredibly expensive to enforce marijuana prohibition, which leaves control of and profits derived from marijuana in the hands of criminals. And, prohibition does virtually nothing to reduce use. Prohibition is an expensive and tragic failure.
Justice
In Montana, you can go to jail for 20 years for selling a joint to a friend. Same as beating someone with a crowbar. Growing 31 plants in Montana can earn you life in prison. Same as rape of a child. For growing a plant in a garden? Are these just laws? Do they uphold justice, really? Is this how we want our precious and important criminal justice resources used?
Besides the police resources, legal fees, and imprisonment, a criminal conviction under marijuana laws can lead to loss of employment, loss of financial aid, loss of child custody, and even loss of housing. Even when there’s no evidence of any other “criminal” behavior.
Bad laws, laws that hurt far more than they help, should be eliminated.
Liberty
Definitions of liberty include “immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority” and “personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression.” Read that again.
These are fundamental ideals of freedom enshrined in American history and culture. Marijuana prohibition is a horrible mistake, a backwards attempt to control behavior which does nothing valuable. Instead, it creates criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens and is slap in the face to the Founding Fathers.
There is simply nothing wrong with adults consuming cannabis responsibly, and policies to the contrary are a misapplication of the criminal sanction.
Our nation, and Montana in particular, has always held up truth, justice, and liberty as important ideals, a firmament upon which the infrastructure of civil society is built.
What are we waiting for? Why is responsible adult use of marijuana still a criminal act?
The answer, in a future blog post.
