Mississippi should legalize home-grown marijuana

Puff, puff, pass this bill.

Mississippi is one of many states this year whose Legislature will vote on whether or not to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Deborah Dawkins, D-Pass Christian.

Her argument is simple: Why is medical marijuana illegal in a state that grows medical marijuana?

The University of Mississippi has long been a cannabis research institution. In fact, Ole Miss grows and ships marijuana to be used as medicine in other states, according to WLBT, Jackson's NBC news affiliate.

This glaring contradiction may be the reason the bill has gathered more support each of the four times Dawkins has introduced it. But it's still not enough to push the bill to passage.

The issue in Mississippi is a strange one. Marijuana is already decriminalized in amounts up to 30 grams. Yet lawmakers choose to keep it illegal there while patients in other states enjoy Mississippi weed?

Imagine if the government gave LSU millions of dollars over several decades to grow and research crawfish — except crawfish are illegal in Louisiana (nightmarish, I know) and they can only be eaten by people in other states. That's what Mississippi is facing. The federal government is giving Ole Miss money to research and produce cannabis, yet it continues to deprive citizens of the plant's benefits. 

Many Louisianians are still afraid of pot. They fear it's a gateway drug that leads users into a life of sorrow and addiction, when in fact they are buying into a smear campaign manufactured by politicians that has been disproved by scientists and medical doctors.  

What other painkiller stimulates the user's appetite instead of upsetting their stomach? What else can be used to combat cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating diseases? What is significantly less harmful on the human body than regular alcohol or tobacco use?

The answer, according to a Scientific American study, is cannabis sativa — sweet, sticky weed.

This topic is a non-issue for me. It has been proven time and time again that marijuana can be used as an effective medicine. Why is nobody listening?

It's not the devil's lettuce anymore. The founding fathers grew it, and Queen Victoria used it for her menstrual cramps, which I imagine worked significantly better than Midol. 

The people who founded this country would be dumbfounded if they knew marijuana was illegal today. 

Prohibition doesn't make sense. But then again, simplicity is bad for the economy. The government employs thousands to keep marijuana off the streets and keep marijuana offenders in prison. These are wasted tax dollars.

I don't believe the federal government will ever legalize marijuana. Thus, progress must be achieved on a state-by-state basis. Mississippi already has a head start, but the citizens of Louisiana are exponentially more progressive and are in favor of similar legislation. 

Medical marijuana is already legal in 17 states, and Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and Massachusetts will also debate the pot issue this year.

It would be wise for Louisiana to adopt this type of legislation. It's less work for everybody. Police can focus on apprehending real criminals, and the black market would disappear if citizens had a store-bought alternative. 

Or we can sit on our behinds and keep pretending pot is a poison while we smoke our cancer sticks and drink our Everclear. 

Mississippi cannot beat us to legalizing marijuana. They tried to ban birth control last year, remember?

Next time you smoke a bowl, remember George Washington has your back.

Parker Cramer is a 20-year-old political science junior from Houston. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_pcramer.

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Contact Parker Cramer at pcramer@lsureveille.com