After the states of Washington and Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana last year, discussions have abounded in the area about a similar change in Missouri or Kansas.
“Yes, I think it should be legal; I feel like enough people already do it, and our government and police are spending too much time catching people who use marijuana when they could be using their time to catch real criminals,” said Kristie-Lynn McGathy, Park University junior. “I only say this because no one has died directly from the use of marijuana, so I don’t think it is as harmful of a drug as everyone claims it to be.”
According to the Marijuana Policy Project, which can be found at www.mpp.org, Missouri has some of the harshest laws in the country about marijuana possession.
Possession of even the smallest amount of marijuana is punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Possession of 35 grams is a felony, leading to up to seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Over 35 grams is five to 15 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. More than 100 kg can lead to a life in prison with a $20,000. If the person in possession is under the age of 21, it will also result in a suspended driver’s license.
When it comes to distributing the drug, charges are harsher. Selling less than 5 grams is a felony that results in up to seven years with a $5,000 fine. Selling up to 30 kilograms result in five to 15 years of jail time and a $20,000 fine. From 30-100 kilograms will result in 10 years to life in jail and a fine of $20,000 and more than 100 kilograms is the same punishment as 30-100 kilograms, but without the possibility of probation or parole, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
Possessing paraphernalia is a misdemeanor resulting in one year of jail time and a $1,000 fine. Selling paraphernalia is a felony worthy of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Missouri has a drugged driving law enacted. According to NORML.org, a marijuana legalization advocate since the 1970s, “these laws forbid drivers from operating a motor vehicle if they have any detectable level of an illicit drug or drug metabolite (i.e., compounds produced from chemical changes of a drug in the body, but not necessarily psychoactive themselves) present in their bodily fluids above a specific threshold.”
According to usnodrugs.com, in Missouri it was estimated on a survey-weighted hierarchical Bayes estimation approach that the total number of marijuana users in a one month period was 316,000. An estimated 37,000 of the marijuana users in Missouri over a one month period were between the ages of 12-17 years old. An estimated 117,000 of the marijuana users in Missouri over a one month period were between the ages of 18-25 years old. An estimated 163,000 of the marijuana users in Missouri over a one month period were 26 or older.
Marijuana legalization in Missouri will produce $149 million annually in combined savings and revenue for the state according to a new economic analysis co-authored by Harvard Economist Dr. Jeffrey Miron. Many pro-marijuana advocates believe that legalization of their plant will help the economy when the marijuana dispensaries are allowed to tax the drug.
When it comes to disadvantages of the drug, according to drugabuse.gov, research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person’s existing problems worse. Heavy marijuana users report lower life satisfaction, worse mental and physical health, relationship problems and lower academic and career success compared to their peers who came from similar backgrounds.
Marijuana use is associated with a higher likelihood of dropping out from school. Several studies also associate workers’ marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers’ compensation claims and job turnover.
Marijuana can have a variety of effects on the consumer, specifically cardiopulmonary and mental health problems. Marijuana raises the heart rate by 20 to 100 percent after smoking and this effect can last up to three hours. Not only does marijuana increase the heart rate, but it causes palpitations and arrhythmias.
One study estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increased risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug, according to drugabuse.gov.
Marijuana smoke is an irritant to the lungs and causes problems such as daily cough and phlegm production, more recurrent acute chest illness, and a keen risk of lung infections. One study found that people who smoke marijuana regularly but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than non-smokers, primarily because of respiratory illnesses.
Also according to drugabuse.gov, marijuana is indeed addictive, despite common belief. The website states: “Estimates from research suggest that about nine percent of users become addicted to marijuana; this number increases among those who start young (to about 17 percent, or 1 in 6) and among daily users (to 25-50 percent). Thus, many of the nearly 7 percent of high-school seniors who (according to annual survey data) report smoking marijuana daily or almost daily are well on their way to addiction, if not already addicted (besides functioning at a sub-optimal level all of the time).”
Long term marijuana users who try to quit may experience irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety and drug craving. Behavioral interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational incentives have helped in treating marijuana addiction. There are no medications currently available, but some are in the works to ease the aforementioned effects and to prevent relapse.
“It is a bad thing for your health and driving under the influence is also very dangerous,” said Pierre Tang-Taye, Park University sophomore. “But maybe if people knew how to handle the problems it could be legal. It may be a good thing for the government (to allow it to be sold in order to tax it) because that could make a lot of money from it. In France, the law is you are not allowed to grow, sell or buy it, but I think it is tolerated. It is not stricter but it is bad when it comes to driving under the influence.”
