Editorial: Decriminalizing marijuana

From The Lookout Staff

On Friday, April 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill meant to federally decriminalize marijuana. The vote was 220-204, with Democrats holding the lead in votes and a few Republicans joining.

The bill was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York.

This bill is meant to prevent federal agencies from denying security clearance to federal workers for marijuana use, to include medical marijuana as medicinal alternatives for veterans’ PTSD, and to add revenue with a sales tax on marijuana sales.

The bill will also expunge anyone convicted of nonviolent marijuana charges.

The Lookout approves of this bill and believes that, ultimately, the federal decriminalization of marijuana is inevitable.

Many people of color are discriminated against for marijuana use and convicted of nonviolent marijuana charges. Many of them have been locked in prison for these charges for years, possibly decades for some. We believe it is important for these people to be released.

We also believe it is important to note all of the medicinal uses of marijuana and how it can benefit the society as a whole when it is decriminalized. Marijuana has been proven to be helpful in seizures, PTSD, anxiety, nausea from chemotherapy and more.

Unlike all other Class 1 (and Class 2 and 3) drugs, no one will die from a marijuana overdose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a government agency that handles drug use and addiction, there has yet to be an adult death attributable solely to marijuana.