The time has come for Indiana to legalize, regulate and tax cannabis just like alcohol. Every time I read someone’s name in the arrest section for marijuana possession, I am stricken with a profound sense of injustice. Indeed, if the person has driven under the influence, or has otherwise caused trouble, then on that basis they should be punished. But the simple act of possessing or using cannabis should not be a crime.

If the burden were mine to justify legalization, I could fill several pages of newsprint making a persuasive case. The evidence is overwhelming. But in a nation that is supposed to be founded on freedom, it should be the burden of the prohibitionist to justify why an adult citizen should be deprived of his liberty for consuming a relatively benign natural substance. If such a case were made on the basis of harm, then the prohibitionist should be equally willing to outlaw alcohol, tobacco and nearly every form of junk food available. All of these are infinitely more harmful than cannabis.

Cannabis has been used for centuries as a natural part of holistic well-being. Not only is it beneficial to the seriously ill, it is also known to relieve a wide variety of problems that commonly afflict regular people. Cannabis safely reduces stress, anxiety, acute pain and many other ailments, and can be grown in the garden like tomatoes. In fact, probably half of what the average adult has in his medicine cabinet could be thrown out if cannabis were legally available. The only reason why people consider cannabis illicit is because it has been illegal since 1937, and they don’t know any different. This was the result of myth and propaganda that has since been discredited. It is time to escape this nonsense, abolish the status quo, and come up with sensible and humane policy that reflects the actual nature of cannabis.

Travis Rubeck

Monticello