This just in! College kids like marijuana!
This shouldn't be news to anyone. Marijuana and substance abuse have become synonymous with the college experience. This topic has been in the public eye for some time now. We didn't intend to rehash this issue, but President Obama's remark in a recent interview has reignited debate.
We do not condone the use of any illegal substance. However, there is growing support for the legalization of marijuana, and we tend to agree. According to a recent Gallup poll, 58 percent of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana. This is in contrast to 1969, when 12 percent of Americans favored legalization. Another Gallup poll revealed 38 percent of Americans have tried marijuana and this percentage has stayed roughly the same since the mid-1980s.
Don't get the wrong idea. We are not for the full legalization of marijuana. Rather, we are for the decriminalization of it. Putting it lightly, Alabama's laws against marijuana are preposterous.
According to Alabama Code, it is illegal to own any drug paraphernalia. Paraphernalia is defined as anything that is used in the growth, sale or use of marijuana. All you cannabis consumers better start putting flowers in your bongs and calling them vases.
Where does the government even begin to draw the line? Could citizens be arrested for possessing a carved out apple? To arrest someone for owning drug paraphernalia, and not actual drugs, is analogous to arresting a drunken person for owning a driver's license.
Being caught with drug paraphernalia is punishable for up to one year in jail and a fine as much as $6,000. But don't get caught again or else you will face one to 10 years in jail and a $15,000 penalty.
But the ridiculousness doesn't end there. According to Alabama Code, those who possess marijuana have to pay a stamp tax on the marijuana they are not legally allowed to possess.
So, let's say you get pulled over by the police, and they find marijuana on your person. Not only do they have you on driving under the influence of marijuana and possession of marijuana, they also have you on not paying the taxes on the drugs you're not allowed to have. Not having this stamp tax paid can result in up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 dollars. Before you know it, you've been sentenced to jail for more than 20 years.
Laws like these are draconian at best. They are designed by ill-informed bureaucrats to entrap citizens for a crime that should be considered a misdemeanor at best. Our judicial system has better things to do than send marijuana smokers to jail. It is a waste of money and resources.
The legalization of recreational marijuana use has started a domino effect around the country. As popular demand increases, more and more states will begin to legalize marijuana, at least medicinally. Alabama seems unlikely to change its laws, and will seem archaic and close-minded in short time. We don't need draconian marijuana laws to see how outdated many of Alabama's laws are. Did you know it's illegal to play dominos on Sunday in Alabama?
If an individual wants to smoke marijuana, melt into their couch and watch "The Big Lebowski," then that is their prerogative. Who are we, or the government, to tell someone they can't do something if it doesn't interfere with the lives of others?
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
