Many would openly admit to relaxing in front of the television with a beer or glass of wine after a rough day at work and the ensuing drive home through rush-hour traffic. It's called unwinding, and there's no law against it so long as you're the proper age. Morally, the act of drinking becomes reprehensible only when done in excess. Yet, many who enjoy their drinking look at other drugs with unease or disgust. In some cases, the reaction is warranted. Some drugs can damage the cells of the human body beyond repair. Drug abuse can also be linked with a number of violent crimes. Yet, ironically, when taken in excess, alcohol fits snugly into both of these categories. While not as addictive or dangerous as some other substances, heroin for example, studies have repeatedly shown that it is more dangerous than some other substances, substances which are illegal to consume. One of these is marijuana.
Cannabis is naturally-occurring and poses few threats to the consumer. While smoking it can irritate the lungs in the same way that smoking cigarettes does, marijuana contains no harmful carcinogens, which have been linked the the development and proliferation of various cancers. Furthermore, it creates no physical dependency. Research even suggests that marijuana stimulates appetite and fights cancer cells. Why should such a substance be illegal?
The answer is simple-and alarming: it is politically convenient. While an article published by D.A.R.E. argues that medical marijuana dispensaries' profit margins undermine their premise of compassion for the terminally ill, nothing is said about the profits enjoyed by the operators of privatized prisons who have taken in thousands for possessing even negligible amounts of cannabis.
I totally agree with this assessment. People who have selected alcohol as their unwind of choice need to understand that at one point it was too prohibited. In the land supposedly full of freedom and liberty, there certainly appears to be a lot of needless and harmful restrictions
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