Wait!, Before you call me a stoned, hippie whacko, think about it. There are many good reasons why the Democratic party should adopt Cannabis decriminalization as part of our party platform. Some are moral, religious, and some are political.
Below the fold is a short list of just a few.
Moral:
-The idea that a citizen can be put in jail for up to 10 years because he or she decides to alter their consciences through using cannabis is a moral outrage. I have heard of rapists getting fewer years in jail then people convicted of Cannabis possession.
-Cannabis has been shown to be a relatively save substance in comparison to many legal drugs, such as Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, just to name a few. It has fewer side effects then these substances, both mental and physical, is not physically addictive, and given its large LD50, virtually impossible to overdose on.
-Cannabis has been shown to be a useful medicine in the treatment of many ailments, including radiation sickness from Chemotherapy, cataracts, PMS, chronic pain, depression, nausea and many others.
Religious:
-Cannabis has a long history of use in many Religions through out the world. Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Tantric practice, Islam and Rastafarianism have a long history of cannabis use in ritual and practice. Outlawing cannabis, therefore, goes against
our first Amendment right of freedom of religion.
Political:
- Putting cannabis decriminalization on the platform will undoubtedly bring many young people into the party. In the same way the republicans used abortion and gay marriage to bring the evangelicals to their side, so we can do with cannabis decriminalization to bring the young to ours. It may sound a little cynical, but I have a feeling many young people who wouldn't otherwise get involved in politics, would take greater interest if cannabis decriminalization was part of the conversation.
-The issue can also be used as a wedge issue to pull some libertarians from the Republican Party to our side. Many libertarians are against the government telling them what they can and can't consume. In Ayne Rand's objectivist philosophy, she clearly states that governments should have no say in what people should be allowed to consume, including psychoactive substances. Indeed, cannabis criminalization is a needless government restriction on our free market system. Clearly, there is a large market for cannabis, only now it is a black market where only criminals make a profit and users are persecuted. Cannabis decriminalization would not only open new legitimate markets, but would also generate tax revenue.
-The government now spends billions of tax payer dollars every year enforcing cannabis prohibition. This money can be put to much better use like say, universal health care or treatment of drug addiction to real dangerous drugs such as meth and heroin.
In conclusion, there would be some political risk in adopting this platform, however, in my opinion, the democrats have to be willing to take chances if they wish to re-energize the party and bring new blood into the fold. Lets face it, for moral, religious, and political reasons, I think the time has come for us to make a stand against laws which are clearly wrong for the country.