The Great Debate: The Decriminalization of Marijuana

By Megan Fitzgerald

Many people, if not most, have heard about the war on drugs that has been going on in this country for decades now. The government has been targeting the drug trade in hopes of eventually being able to take it down.

In the last few weeks however, there has been some talk right here in Illinois that could possible change the face of this battle. There are some officials in Chicago/Cook County that are trying to decriminalize marijuana in hope of stimulating the economy of the state, according to an article in the Huffington Post. 

Danny Solis, an alderman in the city of Chicago, is the one who first came up with the ordinance proposal to make small amounts of the drug a ticketed offense, not a misdemeanor. According to him, if violators were to simply pay a $200 fine rather than be charged with a crime it would in fact save money that the city spends on arrests. In addition to this, he claims that it would allow the police officers to be in the field policing neighborhoods and keeping them safe rather than in the office filling out paperwork for arrests. He also claims that it would bring the city an extra $7 million dollars in revenue which, compared to the $78 million spent by the city on marijuana arrests, has many people thinking.

However, while the financial benefits might seem to make the choice an easy one, there are other sides to the argument as well, especially from a legal standpoint. There are points being made that very often marijuana is linked to other crimes as well, it usually isn’t an isolated offense. Crimes such as violent attacks, robbery and money laundering are often associated with the trading of marijuana. Even in the Netherlands this is noticeable.

The city of Amsterdam, one famous for the legalization of weed, is known as one of the most violent cities in Europe according to heritage.org. There they are even in the process of closing down “coffee shops”, places where marijuana is distributed, because of all the crimes that surround them.

California is another example as well, a place where medical marijuana is permitted. In Los Angeles alone, they have seen a 200% increase in robberies at cannabis clubs since the law went into affect.

Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, has said that while the financial stimulus is very inviting, he will have to weigh that out with the possible crime and legal issues that would indeed follow. The statistics from both sides are hard, if not impossible, to ignore. It will take some heavy thinking and positioning from believers of both sides before he will be able to come to a final decision.
 

 By Morgan Quilici
 
 
It has been a prominent legal debate for years, and as of the past month, the topic of much controversy; should the city of Chicago decriminalize marijuana?
    
It all started on November 2, when Alderman Danny Solis presented an ordinance to the City Council making the possession of marijuana a ticket-able offense, rather than a misdemeanor. According to the Associated Press, if caught with small amounts of the drug, offenders with only be charged a $200 dollar fine and community service.
 
Although the ordinance would both legally and financially benefit the city of Chicago?as reported by the Huffington Post the city will save $7 million dollars a year? there is also an often un-noticed health side to this debate.
    
According to Fox News, there are a few health risks to smoking marijuana that could become more relevant if the drug were to be decriminalized. Marijuana is proven to affect short-term memory when mixed with alcohol.  Also, the long-term immunity of the lungs can be a result of the smoke inhalation of marijuana. However, there is no significant evidence to suggest that smoking marijuana can lead to greater health affects such as cancer, heart defects or immune system damage. Also, a common health myth is that marijuana is addictive. Marijuana is not physically addictive but mentally addictive. In contrast, the smoking of Marijuana has been proven to help relieve pain and nausea caused by a variety of illnesses.
    
However, the few health benefits of smoking Marijuana still doesn’t have all students convinced that the decriminalization of the drug is a good idea.  LAS freshman Emma McMullen, who is familiar with the controversy over the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana from her high school debate team research, is against the ordinance.
    
“There are many people who use it for medical purposes but there are many people who if it were to be (decriminalized) would be using it for other purposes,” McMullen said. “Just because you hear the stories about how it helps a specific person overall it does cause more destruction than it does good.”