Public opinion on LEGALizing MARIJUANA AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH

Ah, Democracy! The advent of the Commoner’s Rule might indicate a presumption of personal autonomy, however it has not in recent years in the United States. The War on Drugs has usurped such personal autonomy and given it to the Federal Government. State governments have slowly been taking it back, and one can only assume that eventually, the individual will again have control over themselves. 

Marijuana, a drug that causes infinitely more incarcerations than it does deaths (literally because it has caused zero deaths and a finite number of incarcerations), has been the centerpiece of the War on Drugs, which some argue is simply a war on our own citizens. Some argue that marijuana prohibition has fundamentally racial origins. They point to the fact that racial stereotypes were weaponized to bring public opinion around. Poor white women succumbing to the charm and marijuana smoke of black Jazz musicians…
Also, they point to the disproportionate amount of minorities in prison as evidence of a broader systemic racism.

Now, we know better than to keep such a benign drug illegal, but government policy has been slow to adapt to public opinion in this regard of personal liberty. Since about 2010, public opinion has favored legalization over prohibition (Thanks, Obama!) and only since then has the problem of mass incarceration been reduced. Whispers throughout Capitol Hill and the White House have been to take the issue back to the states. Such a move would be a great victory in the name of liberty and justice for all!

The graphic is a courtesy of our friends at Medical Marijuana 411. Also important, register to vote so that the will of the people wins out in the November elections.   

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