"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. ...for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." -Abraham Lincoln.

One of the biggest disputes on the voting ballot this year is if Nevadans should legalize possession of up to three ounces of marijuana for recreational use.

"It should be legalized to get rid of crime and make everyone peaceful and laidback. And marijuana would be cheaper," says Graham Krutch, a sophomore at Green Valley High School.

One of the main reasons that there is so much support for the legalization of marijuana is because the state could benefit from the millions of dollars raised by taxing marijuana.

According to Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, there are approximately 150,000 users of marijuana in the state of Nevada who might buy close to an ounce every month. The average cost of an ounce of "chronic" (high-grade marijuana) is around $300. The marijuana could be taxed at 37 percent, the same rate as chewing tobacco and cigars. The taxing of the marijuana would be favorable for the youth of Nevada, since the money could go to schools and/or the repair of public roads.

Another benefit of marijuana is the manufacturing and use of hemp, a fiber made from the marijuana plant. Even George Washington grew hemp. Hemp is one of the most versatile resources on the earth besides the soybean. Hemp is better than cotton in many ways. It is three times stronger, does not use the 275 million pounds of pesticides that cotton plants require annually, and leaves the soil in better condition than when it was planted. It is also used in medicine, food and fibers, and it is more comfortable than cotton. Hemp would also cut back on the use of petroleum in products, such as oils, which are used in cosmetic products, paints and lubricants. Hemp can be made into construction materials and paper products, which could help stop deforestation. An acre of hemp produces more than four times the amount of pulp for making paper than wood.

Marijuana should be legalized to help police officers. Police officers could concentrate on more serious crimes such as rape, murder or major drug busts such as acid, mushrooms, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin.

The average inmate sent to jail for selling marijuana gets four years when some inmates receive only one year for rape or manslaughter. There were over 400,000 arrests for marijuana in 2000.

"It would make it a lot easier to get weed, if you wanted to smoke it, and it would be less stressful because you wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught or in trouble, so you could just do it," says Krutch.

Some people believe that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes. If marijuana were legalized, the price of it would decrease, and there would be no more illegal purchases because marijuana would be sold in stores. No one has ever died from straight intake of marijuana, while people die all the time from binge drinking.

Most marijuana smokers believe it makes them more peaceful and non-aggressive, while alcohol can make people have mood swings and sometimes even violent behavior. Smoking marijuana also relaxes people and takes away stress; it should be legalized to reduce the number of heavy drinkers and to have a relaxed atmosphere in a stressed out society. It also can make people more creative in their work.

Marijuana is a natural plant; it comes from the family of cannabis. The National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Md. grows marijuana for scientific research.

I hope these facts have persuaded you to decide that marijuana should be legalized for recreational use and for the great advantages of hemp usage and the taxing of marijuana.

-Return to October 2002 Issue-