Marijuana: The Dangers of Prohibition

Written By: Travis Buhler  |  Posted: Friday, April 24th, 2015

            Madison's Melissa Sargent, a Democratic Assemblywoman, has renewed her desire for giving Wisconsinites limited freedom to use marijuana. Last session, her bill failed to make it to the floor, and with the Governor publicly refusing to sign such legislation, there is little chance that this session's attempt will go any further.

   She stated some of her reasons for the bill in an interview with WKOW-TV,

   "'This is a non-violent offense.  The most dangerous thing about marijuana in Wisconsin is that it's illegal. I want to change that,' Sargent said."

   This is an argument that merits significant consideration by those who think that it is the government's role to end the use of certain drugs - a position many think is the moral thing to do.

Moral Arguments

   As a Christian, the Bible is my final authority on what is true for all areas of life.  I find no examples in God's word for making drugs illegal.  I also find that just because something is foolish or sinful in the eyes of God, does not mean that it should be punished by a government.

   In other words, God would rather us find other methods for reducing bondage to drugs, like wise parenting and the preaching of God's word.

   But practically, many people would argue that the amount of drug usage would increase if we make them legal. Wisconsin's history would favor such an argument, believe it or not.  Many historians have shown that liquor's hold over the lives of Wisconsinites was severely weakened when the prohibition of the 1920's broke the back of the alcohol industry. Prohibition was not the only cause for this and today Wisconsin is still known for its drunkenness.   Many distilleries, breweries, and taverns did fold during that time, never to open again.

   Marijuana usage would likely go up if made legal, but would the resulting damage to our state outweigh the dangers that are presently caused by the prohibition of it?  Let's weigh the two.

The Criminal Market

   There are no clear ways to guess the amount of drug usage if it had never been banned.  But prohibition has not ended usage - only made it criminal.  What are the results?

   First, it places a lucrative market into the hands of criminal-minded people rather than merely immoral people. Consider alcohol. I may doubt the morality of those who sell alcohol, but I do not consider them criminals. I would even do business with them (in other areas). If alcohol was again prohibited, I assume that most of them would find other work. But there would be those mostly on the outside of the alcohol market who would engage in what would become a new successful underground industry. Much of their profits would not circulate back into legitimate society but would rather fuel more criminal activity.

   It is my guess that if marijuana were legalized, the criminals would have to find other ways to make money illegally, or perhaps they would have to come clean and make their money legitimately. More likely, trustworthy people would start up businesses selling marijuana (businesses started by untrustworthy people tend to fail). The money generated by legal marijuana sales would circulate within legitimate markets rather than the dangerous underground.

The Jail System

   I have a few friends who minister to local jail inmates. One who is deeply involved in this ministry stated that the local jail (including Eau Claire County's) often acts as a criminal recruitment and training institution. Young people are arrested on drug charges and then spend their weeks (or months) before conviction among older jail inmates. Interaction with criminals makes it hard for a young person to resist continuing in crime. If a few of those inmates specifically recruit more dealers and distributors, then the jail becomes the last place one should send someone caught with drugs.

   Ending the jail and prison system for this might be the best route, but, at the very least, keeping those whose actions do not directly harm others from jail would be a good first step. Legalizing marijuana would accomplish this. Usage may go up, and perhaps with that an increase in other crimes as a result of drug induced impairment and addiction. But my opinion is that, overall, crime would go down as a result of shrinking criminals' major source of laborers and revenue.

   Perhaps, I could be wrong. Perhaps a slippery slope of lawlessness could result if drugs were made legal. Perhaps, my arguments are cloudy, but what is clear is that the war on drugs has not ended drug usage nor lowered crime rates resulting from drug usage.  We could lower those crime rates by eliminating their funds. 

   The gigantic amounts of money that we use to enforce drug laws could be taken from the government and used to strengthen parents and organizations that will promote freedom from drugs. It is worth a try. Our current methods have failed.

   Travis Buhler is the Managing Editor of the US Journal and the Eau Claire Journal and a regular Tuesday contributor to the Today morning show.  Email: .