Opinion
Monday, October 19,1992
The Battalion
Page 9
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Taking sides:
Should marijuana be legalized?
ANTHONY C.
LOBAIDO
Columnist
--1
ill
The marijuana
bogeyman contin
ues to haunt the
warriors enlisted
in America's "war
on drugs," trum
peting a message
devoid of good
sense.
Let's wake up
to the fact that
drug prohibition
is not working in
this country.
Marijuana has
already been le
galized for per
sonal use in the state of Alaska. In most
states, possession of under one ounce of
marijuana is a misdemeanor which car
ries only a minor penalty.
Marijuana is not like the deadly
drugs that crack and cocaine are. There
is no recorded incident of any person
dying from an overdose of marijuana.
Since over 500,000 Americans die
each year from lung cancer, one won
ders why the Drug Enforcement Agen
cy isn't busy burning tobacco fields in
stead of sending Green Beret units to
take down marijuana plants.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mari
juana's active ingredient, is not physi
cally addicting, making it the easiest
drug to kick.
Alcohol, on the other hand, is a dan
gerously addictive drug which has pro
duced wide-spread societal problems.
Marijuana has been known to aid peo
ple with poor appetites and is said to
promote "great sex."
The worst side effects of marijuana
documented by the medical community
are sterility in males and a loss of short
term memory.
DEA task force chief Earl McKigney
calls marijuana "the healthiest recre
ational drug in the world."
The religious right spearheads the
ideology of the drug war with an anti
marijuana mantra which claims that
drug legalization is tantamount to ad
mitting the loss of the drug war and
would contribute to destroying Ameri
ca's "Christian foundation."
This is laughable on its face.
No one would argue that the distri
bution of marijuana to minors should
continue to be a crime. But as a natural
ly occurring agricultural product, it
should come as no surprise that mari
juana has been used in the treatment of
glaucoma and to counteract the effects
of radiation on cancer patients.
Why should people stricken with
such suffering be forced to break the ex
isting marijuana laws to find relief from
their agony?
There are valid questions addressing
the problems of legalized marijuana
distribution. An underground multi
billion dollar drug economy has existed
for many years.
Legalizing marijuana would help to
cut into the crime and corruption asso
ciated with the drug trade.
With the experience the federal gov
ernment gained by financing wars in
Southeast Asia and Central America
with the drug trade, organizing a safe
and profitable distribution plan should
present only a minor problem.
The time has come to exorcise the
marijuana bogeyman and say, "This
bud's for you!"
LoBaido is a doctoral student in
educational technology
ROBERT
VASQUEZ
Columnist
People who ad
vocate the legal
ization of marijua
na must be on
drugs. I'm speak
ing figuratively, of
course. I realize
there are many
sound arguments
which advocate
the legalization of
marijuana, just as
there are many
which advocate
euthanasia and
suicide.
Arguably the
most important point made by pro-pot
people is that the threat to our civil lib
erties would be greatly reduced. People
ask, "Does the government have a right
to tell us what to do in our own
homes?" Why should some bureaucrat
ban something that affects only the user
and infringes on nobody else's rights?
Like alcohol, which was finally legal
ized after a failed attempt at prohibi
tion, marijuana affects only those who
use it. Right?
Wrong. The fact is people under the
influence of alcohol often violate more
than the rights of others.
A recent study confirmed the long-
held suspicion that alcohol consump
tion and crime are related. The study
reported that at least three-quarters of
American women have experienced
some form of sexual aggression before
early adulthood.
One quarter of those have experi
enced rape or attempted rape, a majori
ty of which have been acquaintance
rapes. Three quarters of the acquain
tance rapes involved consumption of al
cohol.
This means that you, your sister,
daughter or mother is a potential victim
of molestation by an acquaintance
whose judgment was skewed by a legal
mind-altering substance. The possibili
ty seems preposterous, if not outra
geous, but most women refuse to report
sexual molestations, silenced by shame
and social stigma.
Legalizing marijuana would make
one more substance available for a
mind altering experience, fondly re
ferred to as a "trip."
I used to take trips at school. It was
my first semester at Trinity University.
I was 17 and ready to experience the
world. The guys in the dorm room next
to me came from Houston and St.
Louis. They had lots of money, lots of
free time and lots of pot. Coming from
12 years in a private school, I knew
nothing about smoking cigarettes, let
alone pot.
I learned quickly. My first semester
was a blur, but I must say my classes
were most fascinating. I didn't rape
anyone, except maybe my parents who
paid for a very expensive lesson in the
form of tuition. Why did I do it? I
wasn't addicted. Pot isn't physically
addictive, only psychologically habit
forming. I did it because it was avail
able and convenient, almost as if it were
legal.
For people who are dumb enough to
want pot and sly enough to get it, mari
juana seems all but legal already. If
given the opportunity to try it, take a
cue from a national leader and go for it.
Just don't inhale.
Vasquez is a senior
journalism major
lay 1 .
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h
Gov. Clinton loves
country; hated war
This letter is in response to Karl
Krueger's letter that appeared in the
Oct. 12 Battalion. Karl — I'm afraid
ou just don't get it. I'm not surprised
owever. Your letter is the perfect ex
ample of the brain-dead Republican
ideology I have seen at this university
this semester. Karl — where are your
priorities? We are in the midst of the
worst economic record for any Presi
dent since Hoover, and you are look
ing back to 1967.
Let me explain to you what really
happened in 1967. Bill Clinton, a self-
made man who put himself through
Oxford, paid his own way on a sight
seeing tour through Scandinavia. Like
thousands of other Americans that
year, he visited Moscow. Remember
Karl, you go to college to open your
mind — not to close it. Karl, are you
suggesting that the 50,000 other Amer
icans who visited Russia that year are
traitors? Do you understand that it is
possible to love your country and op
pose a war it is engaged in? For the
record. Bill Clinton organized no ral
lies and he only attended one. How
pathetic can your President's record be
when you have to sink this low and
this far back to get votes?
Karl — look at the real issue. Under
George Bush we've seen the worst eco
nomic record since World War II. Last
week. President Bush said he did not
think we were in a recession. How can
Bush get our country out of his rut if
he does not admit we are in trouble?
Karl — get used to the idea of shin
ing shoes because with four more
years of the same failed economic poli
cy, that is the highest paying job you
will get — even with a college degree.
Don't worry though. If you do a good
job on my shoes, I might give you a
good tip — because Aggies take care of
Aggies.
Mike Brannon
Class of'94
America shouldn't
trust draft dodger
After listening to the Presidential
debates, I was once again reminded
why they call Bill Clinton "Slick
Willie." When President Bush said
that he thought it was wrong to
demonstrate against the United States
on foreign soil during Vietnam, Slick
Willie responded that Bush was "at
tacking his patriotism," and he equat
ed it to the McCarthyist Red Hunt for
communists.
This allowed Slick Willie to avoid
the question of the protests on foreign
soil. However, I think this served to
highlight the way that Slick Willie ma
nipulates events to avoid the hard
truth and tough questions.
It is a fact that Slick Willie protested
against the United States on foreign
soil and thus the accusations are not
equatable to the McCarthy hearing and
Red Hunt.
By manipulating the truth. Bill Clin
ton tried to slide out from another one
of his "youthful mistakes." But it
leaves me and many other Americans
wondering what credibility he would
have as commander in chief.
It is a question of Bill Clinton's pa
triotism, but George Bush isn't respon
sible for the acts mat call it into ques
tion. Bill Clinton is responsible for his
own actions, and thus for a lack of pa
triotism. Slick Willie needs to grow up
and admit his "youthful indiscre
tions." And the American people need
to wake up and see who has the char
acter to guide the United States: A
conservative veteran of World War II
with foreign affairs experience; or a
liberal tax-and-spend hippie draft
dodger and anti-American war
protester.
John Gillespie
Class of '96
We must bring God
back into our schools
As an American and a Christian I
believe in free speech and the freedom
of the press, but I cannot imagine that
an A&M professor would invite my
son or daughter to meet with him
preferably late at night over "appropri
ate drinks" to discuss his "meaning of
life." This is totally inappropriate for a
professor and sounds very unprofes
sional.
Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life, no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me." The Bible is
our road map and if we lived by it our
world would not be in such a mess as
it is today. We kicked God out of our
schools and our schools have become
laden with drugs, guns, violence, and
serve as a distribution source for con
doms. At least the Supreme Court has
realized that maybe by allowing
prayer again there will be some hope
for our nation. New Age methods of
living are not new, they are just re
vived from Babylon.
Marilyn Smith
Longview, Texas
No more excuses;
abortion is murder
If a tree fell in the forest and no one
was there to here it, would it make a
sound?
If an individual sprang into exis
tence and we could not discern this
fact, would it make abortion some
thing other than the taking of an inno
cent life?
There is only one central question of
the abortion debate — is there human
life? It's time to stop fooling ourselves
with all sorts of rationalizations, the
sole intent and purpose of which is to
relieve our own guilt..
If you cannot answer this question
definitively, protection of that life dic
tates what action we should take, since
it is always best to err on the safe side.
Once a life is taken, it can't be given
back.
If you can answer this question
definitively, then please refrain from
playing God with others' lives.
Paul Deignan
Class of '93
Pro-choice is not
always pro-abortion
Just to clear up a misconception,
pro-choice does not mean pro-abor
tion. I am pro-choice — that means I
don't believe anyone has the right to
tell a woman she has to have her baby.
It's her body, and her right to choose.
However, I would not ever suggest a
woman have an abortion. In tact, I
suggest they get lots of counseling and
find out all the facts about all the op
tions there are. I realize that some
women will still choose abortion even
after counseling and this is a very sad
fact. But, saying a woman has no right
to choice is saying a woman's body is
more important than the woman.
They are both equal.
Timi R. LeCroy
Class of '94
Everybody has a
place in Aggieland
In regard to Tiffany McEachern's
letter on Oct. 12, I would like to apolo
gize for the unfortunate act whicn oc
curred at the Texas Tech game, and ap
plaud you for standing up for your
rights. To the Aggie who did this act, I
would like to say that that is very bad
bull. McEachern chose to wear green
Doc Marten boots. To hinder this right
goes totally against what we boast so
highly of — diversity.
Diversity and multiculturalism are
two highly regarded assets of the Ag
gie Orientation Leader Program. Be
ing a member of this program, I would
just like to say that everything told to
you at your New Student Conference
was true. Please do not let one bad ap
ple speak for the other 40,000 students
and faculty members at Texas A&M.
Tiffany, do what you know is best for
you, not what everyone else thinks is
oest for you. Be yourself. I invite you
to contact me through the Aggie Ori
entation Leader Program anytime so
you can meet some Aggies who do ap
preciate diversity.
Brian Hicks
Class of '95
Aggie spirit alive
despite negativism
I have spent the last few weeks
reading the increasing number of neg
ative letters printed in Mail Call. Be it
for our football team, a particular
group, or other Aggies in general, it
seems all I have read has been deroga
tory in nature. I want to relate an act I
witnessed last week that contradicts
this trend.
While driving on Wellborn to a
meeting for a group project I got stuck
behind a truck that had stalled and
was holding up traffic. The truck was
an old Ford with a paint job my grand
father used to call "custom by colli
sion." It was being driven by a beard
ed man, probably in his late 30s, wear
ing an old pair of jeans and a tattered
T-shirt.
When they saw his predicament one
of the guys leaned into the cab, and af
ter talking briefly to the man, the three
pushed the truck approximately 100
yards off of Wellborn and onto the
road by Albritton Tower. The feeling
that really made this simple act of car
ing and compassion stand out to me
was that it truly exemplified the spirit
of Texas A&M.
Helping out a friend, acquaintance,
or even Aggies helping Aggies is too
narrow a definition of Aggie spirit.
Being an Aggie is about Aggies help
ing others, period. Not because you
have to, but because you have a feeling
inside that makes you want to. I want
to thank those three for reminding me
why this University is so much more
than buildings, brains, and books. Gig
em.
Bill Bodnar
Class of'94