Marijuana Legalization Initiative 502

Marijuana legalization remains a source of contention between state governments as well as the executive, judicial and legislative branches of the federal government. Thus, when Initiative 502 succeeded by popular vote in the state of Washington and thereby legalized the recreational use of marijuana, the varying perspectives as to whether the initiative would benefit Washington inevitably clashed. The social, political and economic ramifications of the legalization of recreational marijuana use in the state of Washington remains highly controversial. Nonetheless, the popular vote clearly conveys the majority’s desire to legalize marijuana for recreational use and regulated, commercial sale. Initiative 502 has the potential to massively benefit the economy, government and peoples of Washington.

Initiative 502 grants concise provisions in regard to the regulation, taxing, commercial production, possession and recreational use of marijuana. The Washington State Liquor Control Board is in charge of regulating and shaping the marijuana industry that holds grand economic promise for Washington. The initiative also allows retailers, dispensaries and other licensed businesses to sell marijuana with a tax revenue of 25%. Businesses that vend marijuana are only allowed to sell the plant and related paraphernalia. (Beiser 33). Much like the case with alcohol, the initiative also expounds upon the current DUI laws which do not take marijuana into consideration as a legal intoxicant with standardized amounts to ordain prosecution. The stipulations set by the initiative allow the responsible usage of marijuana for adults over the age of 21 years old. The initiative aims to create a legal industry for those who do not suffer from chronic illness or other health woes (“FAQ on I-502”).

The United States Drug Enforcement Association inappropriately classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance and outright illegal. Other Schedule I substances include LSD, peyote, heroin, and methaqualone. The DEA considers drugs in the Schedule I category to pose the most danger to one’s psychological and physical well-being due to an increased likelihood of physical or psychological dependency. Supposedly, Schedule I drugs are also void of medical value ("DEA/ Drug Scheduling"). Marijuana’s Schedule I classification is inappropriate according to the state governments that legalize it. Its federal illegality complicates the lives of producers and users, both legal and otherwise because of the classification clashes with the state government’s acceptance of the drug. Like alcohol, it is safe when used responsibly and shows promise to become a lucrative cash crop.

Marijuana has a plethora of medical uses to legitimize its usage and worthy of legalization in the context of medical treatment. Advocates for medical marijuana refer to marijuana’s medical benefits, such as its ability to alleviate painful symptoms associated with cancer, AIDS wasting syndrome, glaucoma, and other debilitating illnesses (Hall, and Degenhardt 689). Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard professor and prominent figure in the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws contends that “between 1800’s and 1900s, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of a drug known as Cannabis Indica … It was recommended as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, analgesic, hypnotic and anticonvulsant” (Grinspoon and Bakalar 1875). Even medical marijuana dispensaries are subject to harassment and the threat of arrest by the federal government despite lawful approval from the state government.

Washington first deviated from federal law when the citizens of Washington cast their ballots. The state of Washington passed Initiative 692 which legalized the prescribed usage of medical marijuana in November of 1998. This legislative action which was also largely supported by the popular vote (“Seattle’s Marijuana Initiative Appears To Be Effective”). Medical marijuana dispensaries are subject to the threat of harassment or arrest because it remains illegal in the eyes of federal law. Until provisions are passed to ensure the legal protection of state-run marijuana industries, they will remain vulnerable to the federal government impinging upon state laws that sell marijuana for non-medical use. The federal government’s actions convey a disregard for the laws of Washington and its citizens’ political decisions.

Opponents of Initiative 502 question how much Washington’s economy may actually benefit from the creation of this new industry. Washington’s Office of Financial Management estimates that the summative costs associated with the regulation and implementation of the legal marijuana market will equate to millions, including administrative expenses and any other related fees (Beiser 34). However, the legal marijuana industry has the potential to reap up to 606 million dollars in revenue from taxes in the premier year and an estimated 5 billion dollars within the upcoming five years (Holden). This money ultimately returns to taxpayers through investments in public education and health care. Additionally, marijuana tourism also carries the potential to acquire immense wealth for the state of Washington because like Amsterdam’s condition before revoking the right of tourists to use marijuana, Washington would have access to a highly exclusive commodity that can be found few places elsewhere. This would generate cash flow not only from the residents of Washington, but also amass consumers and a customer base from people all around the world.

While the revenues seem appealing, opponents accuse Initiative 502 of limiting the liberties of medical marijuana users. Dr. Gil Mobley is a physician who controls and administers marijuana prescriptions. He is also the founder of a group once known as “Patients against I-502” but now titled “No on I-502.” Mobley criticizes the initiative’s DUI provisions because “any driver who exceeds a limit of five nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood would be automatically guilty of driving under the influence” (Holden) which jeopardizes the driver’s licenses of medical marijuana users. Additionally, drivers under the age of 21 years will be arrested for having any THC present in their blood at the time of being pulled over. The same scenario applies to underage drivers showing even the most meager traces of alcohol consumption detected by a breathalyzer. However, even the most hardcore users of marijuana would struggle to accrue that many nanograms of THC in their blood within a day (Holden). The initiative mostly correlates driving under the influence of marijuana with driving while drunk or otherwise inebriated. Washington’s users of medical marijuana have documented histories of their prescriptions and should not have their freedom to drive threatened if they are not driving while under the influence at that given moment.

The legalization of marijuana and the birth of a market for recreational users can also lessen the financial burden of American taxpayers by reducing the number of arrests and incarcerations that pertain to marijuana possession and sales. While it is still illegal to sell marijuana without a license in Washington, legalization can still drastically decrease the number of people who are imprisoned for marijuana-related charges. The Prison Industrial Complex reigns over the United States, a country that accounts for only 5 percent of the global population but still contains a quarter of the world’s population of prisoners. Nearly half of US drug-related arrests consist of individuals charged with marijuana possession (Trujillo 6). Washington has racked up over 240,000 marijuana-related arrests since 1986. Over half of these arrests happened within the past decade, costing Washington over 300 million dollars in related fees (Newman). Initiative 502 provides the hope of eliminating a great portion of these costs, decreasing the total of marijuana-related arrests and lessening the state’s overall financial burden.

Marijuana’s aforementioned sanction as a Schedule I drug has dirtied its reputation and the public perception of its users by virtue. The illegality of marijuana is a major factor that contributes to the stigmatization of people who use marijuana for recreational purposes and makes people wary of what Initiative 502 has to offer Washington state. Dr. Eric Goode, the author of The Marijuana Smokers and a sociologist at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, purports that his studies of marijuana users indicate that people who use marijuana also exhibit an increased proclivity to abuse other illicit substances (Metz 62). His opinion concedes with Kevin A. Sabat’s perspective that the drastic surge in the American population’s marijuana usage will increase accessibility to minors and increase hard drug use, although this is certainly not the case.

In actuality, the legalization of marijuana for recreational use has the potential to diminish the usage of narcotics or “hard drugs” and it is not the “gateway drug” that years of propaganda have made it out to be. To believe in the “gateway hypothesis” (Kandal 482) is to confuse causation with correlation. While no studies have been able to conclude that marijuana actually causes one to use other drugs, all of these studies have relied on correlational evidence which shows that marijuana users are not only more likely to dabble in harder drugs, but most people who struggle with narcotic addictions report trying weed before any other drug. Still, a generous body of research indicates that a genetic predisposition to substance abuse is highly significant in terms of dictating the extent to which one might abuse drugs or develop a full-blown addiction (Kandal 482). Strong consideration should be granted to the fact that the negative effects of marijuana addiction or heavy marijuana usage pale in comparison to the damage caused by other illicit substances (Hawkins, Caulkins, Kilmer, and Kleiman 387). Additionally, the research findings of a study conducted by Ronald Swartz (2010) concluded that “cannabis use did not seem to compromise substance abuse treatment amongst the medical marijuana using group, who (based on these preliminary data) fared equal to or better than non-medical marijuana users in several important outcome categories (e.g., treatment completion, criminal justice involvement, medical concerns)” (Swartz 1). Therefore, the proliferation of legal marijuana should not exacerbate substance abuse amongst the people in Washington who struggle with narcotic addictions and should not be problematic for those who do have the tendency to abuse drugs.

A certain kind of social cross-contamination occurs when these people buy marijuana from the black market because they are often exposed to other illegal drugs that the dealer(s) might be selling at the time. Legalizing marijuana limits the overall exposure to the black market by placing the dealership into the hands of the state government. If marijuana can be purchased in stores, those profits that would normally line the pockets of black market sellers would instead go to the state and its citizens. It would also diminish the amount of contact that black-market customers have with more destructive street drugs.

Initiative 502 was passed in accordance with the demand of Washington’s voters. The federal government’s resistance violates the state’s political and economic autonomy. Although marijuana is certainly not new to the United States or to Washington in particular, the legalization of its recreational use outlines how marijuana is regulated, sold and purchased. The flourishing recreational marijuana industry shows much promise for spectacular strides in the state’s wealth by generating money through the sale of the marijuana itself, respective licenses and tax revenues. The tremendous expenses associated with incarcerating people charged with marijuana possession, paraphernalia and other infractions that are connected to marijuana infractions will also dwindle. Democracy is founded upon the principle of granting a population a say in how their state or nation is being run. The civic participation efforts of the majority demonstrate that the people of Washington embrace a policy that allows a legal, taxable, propitious marijuana industry to better their economy, government and society.

Works Cited

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"FAQs on I-502." Washington State Liquor Control Board. Washington State Liquor Control Board, n.d. Web. 10 Dec 2013. <http://lcb.wa.gov/marijuana/faqs_i-502>.

Grinspoon, Lester, and James B Bakalar. "Marihuana as Medicine: A Plea for Reconsideration." Journal of the American Medical Association. 273.23 (1995): 1875-1878. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. <http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=388943>.

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Newman, Tony. "New Report: 240,000 Marijuana Possession Arrests in Washington State in the Last 25 Years | Drug Policy Alliance." Drug Policy Alliance | Guiding Drug Law Reform & Advocacy. Drug Policy Alliance, 10 Nov 2012. Web. 10 Dec 2013. <http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2012/10/new-report-240000-marijuana-possession- arrests-washington-state-last-25-years>.

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Trujillo, Josmar. "Media Laugh Off Criticism Of Drug War." Extra! 25.12 (2012): 6-7. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.