Yahoo – AFP,
27 July 2014
Washington (AFP) - The New York Times called for the legalization of marijuana, in a bold editorial comparing the federal ban on cannabis to Prohibition.
Washington (AFP) - The New York Times called for the legalization of marijuana, in a bold editorial comparing the federal ban on cannabis to Prohibition.
The
prestigious publication said pot laws disproportionately impact young black men
and that addiction and dependence are "relatively minor problems" --
especially when compared with alcohol and tobacco.
"It
took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end Prohibition,
13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise law-abiding citizens became
criminals and crime syndicates arose and flourished," the newspaper said.
"It
has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana,
inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far less
dangerous than alcohol. The federal government should repeal the ban on
marijuana."
Noting that
the editorial board reached its conclusion after much discussion, The Times
described the social costs of marijuana laws as "vast."
Citing FBI
figures showing there were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012 --
far higher than for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives -- it said "the
result is racist, falling disproportionately on young black men, ruining their
lives and creating new generations of career criminals."
While
advocating for a ban on marijuana sales to those under 21, the paper also said
the "moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for
otherwise healthy adults."
The call
comes just weeks after recreational pot sales began in the western US state of
Washington, which followed Colorado's decision to let people buy marijuana with
no medical prescription.
And earlier
this month, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill making New York the 23rd state
to legalize marijuana for medical use.
In another
recent move reflecting growing public support for easing marijuana laws, the
House of Representatives voted in May to bar federal authorities from raiding
medical marijuana facilities or growers in states that have legalized its use.
Call
sparks reader reaction
The Times
editorial, titled "Repeal Prohibition, Again," kicks off a series of
pieces on the issue by members of the editorial board and invites readers to
weigh in.
The first
have already done so, with their views posted on the newspaper's website.
E.S.
Lawrence, a self-described 20-year veteran high school teacher, expressed
concern about children getting access to the substance, describing it as a
"gateway drug" with detrimental effects on memory and learning.
Marijuana
bongs, or water pipes, are
displayed at the Cannabis City retail
marijuana
store on July 8, 2014 in Seattle,
Washington (AFP Photo/David Ryder)
|
But Emmett
Hoops argued that legalization would allow for both taxation and regulation,
adding that "mere decriminalization keeps profits in the hands of criminal
gangs."
"It is
beyond ridiculous to keep marijuana illegal while tobacco and alcohol kill
scores every day in our state," Hoops, from New York, posted.
In January,
President Barack Obama made headlines when he said smoking pot was no more
dangerous than drinking, though he called the practice a "bad idea."
In comments
to The New Yorker magazine, the US leader also noted that poor minority youths
were more likely to get prison time for using marijuana than their richer counterparts.
However, he
stopped short of calling for legalizing the drug at the federal level.
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