It’s time for Texas to legalize marijuana
American companies sell thousands of products that harm consumers, create addictions and generate health care costs for society at large, all in the name of personal liberty.
Legalizing marijuana, therefore, is completely consistent. Texas should follow the lead of 15 other states that have realized cost savings and community benefits from legalization that far outweigh the downsides.
The first step, as they say, is to free your mind.
Almost every year for the past decade, some U.S. jurisdiction somewhere has loosened access to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot. Most states started by allowing medical marijuana, then reduced the penalties for possession, and many are now legalizing THC completely.
Fifty-three percent of voters in conservative South Dakota last month legalized marijuana for adult recreational use.
Texas is one of 27 states that allows use of marijuana products for medical purposes. Only five states and the federal government forbid any use of cannabis. President-elect Joe Biden supports decriminalization, which makes possession a civil violation, like a speeding ticket.
Laws forbidding marijuana have never made sense in a country where alcohol and tobacco are legal. Excessive drinking costs the U.S. about 95,000 lives and $156 billion a year, while tobacco-related deaths total 480,000 a year, with illnesses costing the country $300 billion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prohibitionists argue that marijuana is too powerful and addictive to legalize. But the more we learn about addiction, the more we realize how everyday substances and behaviors create dangerous habits and poor health outcomes.
David Courtwright, an emeritus professor at the University of Florida and author of three books on addiction, recently spoke at Rice University’s Baker Institute about what he calls limbic capitalism, where companies make money from developing compulsive behaviors in their customers.
“There’s been a growth in our perception of addiction, we have more types of addiction and many people think we’ve had an intensification of addiction,” Courtwright explained. “It’s not just about illicit drugs anymore.”
Digital gambling, pornography, gaming, social media, food and even tanning are examples of businesses that offer a product that will be habitforming for a segment of the population. Courtwright argues that many companies purposefully create addictions to keep consumers coming back.
“Entrepreneurs are looking for products and services that provide a quick hit of brain reward, and they grow their businesses by basically reinforcing and spreading the habits,” he said.
These addictions also ruin lives, but most people can play poker online,
follow Twitter or eat sugary foods without creating a lifelong habit that ruins their lives. We don’t ban them because most consumers do not become addicted.
The same is true of illicit drugs. Only 10 percent of people who misuse opioids become addicted to them, and only 10 percent of the population will experience a substance addiction in their lifetime, according to the National
Institutes of Health. Laws criminalizing substances such as marijuana, or even heroin, have done nothing to dent that 10 percent addiction rate.
By legalizing or decriminalizing drugs, governments are catching up to what health professionals have been saying for decades. Laws will not reduce or eliminate substance abuse, but preventive mental health care and medical treatments can help people treat their disease.
Voters in Oregon, one of the earliest states to legalize marijuana, have decriminalized personal use of all drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Addicts found with a small amount will get a ticket and an opportunity to undergo treatment.
The new law also calls on Oregon to expand drug treatment programs and pay for it with marijuana taxes. The concept is similar to how states with legalized gambling require casinos to help finance programs for those whose gambling becomes an addiction.
Legalizing marijuana should appeal to conservatives and liberals interested in boosting personal liberties, while shrinking government and tackling a public health problem.
Police and jail resources spent on small-time marijuana arrests could be spent fighting more serious crime. States can use marijuana taxes to treat the 75 percent of addicts who need care but can’t find it.
Legalization also creates new businesses and jobs, from the farmer to the trimmer to the retail store. All the money that currently goes into the black market becomes normal commerce, generating wealth and opportunity. And each of those steps represents a taxable event.
Colorado, the first state to legalize recreational marijuana, has proved that while emergency rooms did see an increase in marijuana-related visits, per capita pot consumption has held steady. Teenage use of marijuana also remains unchanged. Legalization did not expand the market.
Prosecuting people for addiction has done nothing but exacerbate crime and ruin lives. Legalization is an important step to treating addiction, reducing policing and boosting economic activity. Texas should consider it during next year’s legislative session.