October 7, 2019
The legalization of marijuana is a hot button all across this country, and it is not any different on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Even though New Jersey allows the use of medical marijuana with a prescription from a physician, students from FDU say the stigma behind this drug should be lifted and legalized for recreational use in this country.
Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act with the likes of much more detrimental drugs like LSD and heroin. Scientific research has said on countless occasions that this drug is nowhere near as harmful as the others that are considered to be Schedule 1.
According to campusdrugprevention.org, “Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
By the same token, there are positive effects that marijuana has on the body. For example, it can help with cancer symptom management such as pain relief, sickness caused by chemotherapy, appetite stimulation and help with sleep. While some claim it can stop the spreading of cancer in one’s body, there is not enough scientific evidence to support those claims. Marijuana can relieve arthritis, help treat epilepsy and a variety of other health benefits have been scientifically linked to the drug.
Students say it is time for the United States government to reassess its archaic classification system that considers marijuana to be on the same playing field as LSD and to open it to the public for recreational usage.
Even if an individual is against the usage of marijuana, in all of its many forms, the financial ramifications of legalizing this drug will certainly give a boost to the economy of the Garden State. This argument has been trumpeted by many FDU students, but it is not their main argument for why the drug should be legalized.
The time has come for the government to loosen up the reins on a not-so-dangerous drug and let the people make an informed decision. Using the facts that have been delineated by science, marijuana is a drug that should be utilized in both a recreational and medicinal fashion.
The government must change its classification of the drug after new scientific reports have spelled out its positives and negatives. Some of the negatives are driving under the influence of the drug, or even being stoned while in class.
Then, marijuana should be legalized which will lead to an economic boost for the nation, government regulation of the substance itself and less individuals jailed because they had a minimal amount of marijuana on their person.
The fact of the matter is that people who have used marijuana will continue to do so, whether it is illegal or not, and the same logic goes for nonusers of marijuana. Just because it is legalized does not mean that people will begin to become users.
We are strongly behind the legalization of marijuana.
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