Live and Let Be?

Marijuana, hash, pot, grass, weed, Mary Jane, ganja...

The list goes on and on. And the discussions about marijuana go on and on as well. Should it be legal or not? Should we let people sell it for medicinal purposes? If we do, who should prosecute if that privilege is abused? How much is too much?

While I myself am not a pot smoker for my own personal reasons, I live in a city (Austin) where it is very prevalent. Plenty of my friends smoke it, maybe not on a regular basis but it is not unusual to see it at parties. To me it isn't really a big deal because I have been around it for so long, but I think it is definitely not something to be overlooked.

This notion was confirmed last night when I watched an A&E Special Presentation called "Pot City" in which a small town in northern California called Arcata is highlighted. The town which was once a very quaint, quiet, and rather crime-free place to live has now turned into a haven for marijuana growers. Almost 10% (about 1,000) of the towns 7,000 homes have been turned into pot homes, which then become no longer inhabitable after the pot growers move out.

Not only is pot being harvested in homes, but it is illegally being planted in state parks and timber company properties. The new culture that has evolved from this massive pot business has led many of the residents to live in fear because of the crime that goes along with selling pot.

After watching this I had to ask myself...how can people say that this drug is harmless? I highly disagree. In this town, the amount of house fires has greatly increased, putting a strain on resources. Also, police department resources are strained because they are having to deal with crime that was never there before. A town that was basically a haven, an oasis, is not plagued with crime. You call that harmless?

I encourage you to read about this documentary and follow with all the talks in Congress about marijuana enforcement. Here is a link to the new bill passed in which Obama says he will not prosecute medical marijuana users and distributors as long as they are within state regulations.