Sunday, March 17, 2013

Marijuana Decriminalization in Nevada

By Elmer Whittaker 

On Friday March 15, 2013 Las Vegas Assemblyman Joe Hogan (D) introduced a bill to decriminalize marijuana to the Nevada State Assembly. Assemblyman Joe Hogan (D) not only cited societal benefits and the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes in his bill, but stretched the remarkable medical benefits of the plant. 

The citizens of Colorado and Washington decriminalized the use and possession of marijuana with the last election in November 2012. Nevada is said to be the sixth state to consider decriminalization of the remarkable useful and healing plant. 

I think Assemblyman Joe Hogan’s bill deserves not only the support from Democrats, Libertarians and Greens but Republicans as well. 

As a Libertarian I support decriminalization and even legalization not only of marijuana but of all drugs. As we have seen from alcohol prohibition and the war on drugs so far, it is clear that such prohibitions simply cannot be won or be successfully enforced.  

The war on drugs has led to nothing else but the mass criminalization of many Americans who would otherwise be functional members of society and has pushed the illegal drug trade and traffic underground where it causes uncontrollable violence and a byproduct of even more crime at the expense of billions of dollars. 
 
Drug prohibition and criminalization only benefits the pharmaceutical corporations and the prison industry.

The Netherlands and Portugal have shown that drug decriminalization and drug legalization can and does work and even reduces the number of drug users. 

Aside from that I don’t think the government should be involved as “nanny-state” and dictate its citizens what they can or cannot use in or on their bodies as long as they are aware of the possible consequences and as long as they harm nobody else. 

Let’s all support good and common sense as well as the liberty of freedom of choice while keeping many of our fellow citizens on the path of being functional and righteous members of our society and decriminalize the use and possession of marijuana in Nevada.
 
 
 
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