 |
| One major problem with the law is that at times it is found to impede
the freedoms of those it protects. The United States has a history
of finding those rights that are not protected and restoring them
even though it may seem as though it takes a lifetime or more. The
right that I speak of is not one of life or liberty but of the pursuit
of happiness. When these words were first uttered "the pursuit
of happiness" was meant as land to live on and to work. But in
the fast paced world of the twenty-first century owning land is not
something that every person wishes for. Although in this brief essay
I do not wish to address the issue of why marijuana should be legalized
but of how.
If I may for a moment compare the war on drugs (namely marijuana) to the disgusting injustice of slavery and segregation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. One is a victory for freedom and a wonderful example of the tedious yet sufficient bureaucratic system of laws that the U.S. has The other is an example of how political greed and desperation can punish those who wish to rid the U.S. of this political greed and eventually punish those Americans who work hard and wish to come home to a relaxing evening not bothered by worries that what they are doing is wrong or that a police officer would see what they are doing and arrest them. These two may seem to be contrastingly different and rightly they are, for slavery and segregation are far worse than prohibiting the simple want to get high. On the other hand they may be strikingly similar. For example the people who went through the political system and got the Civil Rights Act of 1968 signed are not responsible for the freedom and the rights of African Americans in the U.S. They were extremely necessary, as a matter of fact the act could not have been done with out these famous as well as the silent supporters working in Washington, but this is not where it starts. The process towards freedom began with the freedom riders, and those who sat down at a counter for a meal they knew would not be served. Doing those illegal things, because they knew that it was not a wrong thing, simply something that was misunderstood, is what made equality for African Americans possible. In the same way we cannot have political freedom until we are free in the minds of the public. The mass of people must regurgitate all the lies they believe about this plant. They must first realize the advantages before they will allow such a thing to exist and thrive in the U.S. and most importantly they must realize what we are willing to risk and why. They must realize that we are not a bunch of drug feigning maniacs, but we are the people that they already know and love, the people that they interact with everyday and they did not even know because of the prejudices that the government has instilled in their minds. Until this is no longer a "counter culture", and is realized for the true cultural significance that it holds it will never be legalized. There are many things that can be done to change the laws here in the United States. One way is to write your legislators and tell them of your discontent. Only in mass numbers in a great number of states could this be effective. Another way is by peaceful protest though not the most respected. I once had a teacher that always complained that protesters were doing worse for the world by complaining and marching around with signs than they would if they went out and got a job (not one of my favorite teachers). I have noticed that the most effective way though is by breaking that law. Breaking the law without shame, without a fight, and without paying any fine. Sitting out the time is the best way otherwise you are paying to be arrested as opposed to being a great burden on your captor. Besides what's a couple of days in jail when you can have the rest of you life free to do as you wish. And while you are in it will be with friends and others that admire what you are doing. The best places in my suggestion to break this law would have to be at a police station, a courthouse, or some other place of seeming authority. A mass of hundreds perhaps thousands of people lighting up joints, pipes, and bongs, not water pipes, such a thing can not be helped but to attract the attention of the world that does not know. Next time you get arrested on a charge of possession of more than two ounces and get a worse charge than the guy who stole your car stereo, think about it. |