Marijuana Epidemic in Texas? by Michael Thiel

September 17, 6:30 am, and the alarm goes off; just as it does every Monday – Friday, fifty weeks out of the year, rain or shine. It’s time to get moving. But wait, where are the numbers on the clock? There is nothing to be seen except fuzzy black or grayish blobs. So this is the day – the day “real” vision is gone, forever; exactly as the doctors had said “could” occur. You worked hard to accept and overcome the sometimes debilitating headaches, nausea, and dizziness brought on from myopic degeneration and retinal detachment issues; steeled yourself for numerous surgeries and recuperations; and for awhile now thought you’d be one of the “fortunate”. Great, nineteen years old, two months into the perfect rental house; four months into a job with actual benefits and true potential, and you’re now blind. You and your mother both try not to cry when you call her for help. She just hugs you tight, saying over and over – “the Lord loves you; you’ll be fine”. Thus begins the journey into the world of medical marijuana. But, in Texas, it may not happen for the residents.

History

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s long running war on marijuana began in earnest in 1972, after marijuana had been categorized as a “Schedule 1” drug under the 1970 Controlled Substance Act. Schedule 1 drugs are defined as drugs with no real medical use and highly addictive qualities. Despite decades of scientific and medical research providing data to the contrary, cannabis remains a Schedule 1 drug today; thanks in large part to strong lobbying on the part of Christian-based organizations opposing the legalization of marijuana. More and more, though, here in Texas both of those groups are being forced to reckon with what has been shown to be a definitively positive aspect of the non-high producing cannabis, also known as CBD, oils – relief from pain, anxiety, nausea, and seizures for epileptic, cancer, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sufferers.  

Texas has long been thought to be a bastion of “no legalizing marijuana; no how; no way; never”. Yet, the question of whether or not to legalize marijuana; whether or not to decriminalize marijuana possession and use; and whether or not and to whom to allow the use of medical marijuana has become one of the hot issues in Texas in recent years. The most recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows a tremendous softening of this “never” stance. Poll statistics found that 83 percent of Texans support legalizing some use of marijuana; 53 percent of those were even supportive of allowing possession of marijuana for recreational use in addition to medically prescribed use (Ramsey, 1). A further breakdown of the statistics shows legalization is advocated for by more men than women; and by more 18-64 year olds than by those 65 and older (Ramsey, 1). 

Marijuana for medical use has seen a bit brighter future in Texas. On June 1, 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed landmark legislation, the Compassionate Use Act, establishing a rigidly regulated and tightly controlled system of dispensaries, grow operations and production facilities for CBD oil, the much less potent and non-high producing component of traditional “street weed” that has been made legal for the treatment of intractable epilepsy, the only medical condition Texas has approved for its use. Even at that signing, Governor Abbott stated “I remain convinced that Texas should not legalize marijuana, nor should Texas open the door for conventional marijuana to be used for medical or medicinal purposes and as governor I will not allow it” (Carter, 1). So the expansion of the use of medical marijuana for other medical/mental conditions still has an uphill battle to fight in Texas; and the legalization of recreational marijuana is still way behind the proverbial “eight ball” (Carter, 1). 

Social Effects

            Marijuana legalization is a balancing act. More than 33 million Americans, more than the entire population of Texas, now admit to smoking marijuana; with this number expected to rise dramatically in the coming years. The down sides to not legalizing marijuana have a significant effect on society as a whole.

In the US, hundreds of thousands of people are arrested annually for marijuana possession; ripping apart communities and families when those arrested are sentenced to jail or prison. Racial disparities in these arrests are tremendous. African Americans are four times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as are white people; despite being only 1.3 times as likely to use the drug (Ramsey 1). Even an arrest for a small amount of marijuana will most likely be classified as a criminal felony, making it harder to find a job or housing; often leading to a downward spiral of harder drug use and death by overdose or suicide. Interestingly enough though, many law enforcement personnel and judicial officials are leaning towards legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use. For example, Kim Ogg, District Attorney for the City of Houston, stated in a February 2017 news conference in Houston:

 In the previous 10 years in excess of $25 million had been spent locking up people for having less than 4 ounces of marijuana and in excess of $250 million prosecuting those same cases and yet had produced no tangible evidence of improved public safety; while disenfranchising, unnecessarily, thousands of people from greater job, housing and educational opportunities by giving them a criminal record for what is, in effect, a minor law violation. (Rogers, 1)

Shifting sales from the black-market to the legal market of pot-for-sale would drastically slash or even eliminate drug cartels’ and gangs’ major source of revenue; effectively reducing gang fights over drug turf and the violence associated with drug trafficking. Studies show marijuana is a relatively safe drug, less likely to cause accidents than alcohol, and little evidence that marijuana causes severe health problems (Lilienfeld 1). No one can dispute that the legalization of marijuana will have far reaching effects on all aspects of society- the question to be answered is: is the impact more beneficial than detrimental?

Examples

Ellen, a close friend of mine, has struggled with retinal detachment and glaucoma since she was seventeen. At 19, she was officially declared legally blind and had to go on disability. For almost ten years she suffered terrible migraines, eye pain, and inability to focus until she was able to begin receiving medical marijuana while living with friends in Colorado.  Since she’s moved back to Texas to be near her family, she has to access the medicine by traveling back to Colorado every other month, “pretending” to still be a resident there. Her time living with better eyesight and less pain was such a tremendous improvement on what life had been before that she accepts there could be consequences to being found to be in possession of marijuana, even if it is medical marijuana with no-high to be produced by it. Several other friends with terminal illnesses/conditions used marijuana to calm nausea, pain, and anxiety when their pain could no longer be effectively controlled with traditional pain and nausea medications.  Illegal or not, they were dying and it made no sense that the laws prevented them from being comfortable in their last days. 

Having grown up in the time of rampant drug use, the results of drug-related deaths while serving as a volunteer firefighter; saw friends lose their futures of great jobs and families because of their drug use; so, it’s harder for me to take as strong a stand for legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

Solutions

Research has proven marijuana is less addictive than alcohol; therefore, one solution is to treat marijuana use in a similar way as alcohol (Campbell 1). Regulate the how and where it’s produced and how it’s sold; provide penalties for overuse and abuse; and let the legal side reap the economic benefits. In 1994, the National Institute on Drug Abuse researchers found marijuana to be much less addictive than many other legal and illegal drugs – 9% for marijuana; 15% for alcohol; 17% for cocaine; 23% for heroin; and 32% for nicotine  (Lilienfeld 1). No studies done since that time have produced data showing significant changes in the percentages (1). Funding must occur to continue to evaluate the impact on society as marijuana use, recreational and medical, continues to grow.  Local, state, and federal agencies must be ever vigilant and prepared to deal with an epidemic should there become rampant, uncontrolled, or violent situations resulting from the legalization of cannabis.   There will always be abuse – whether legal or not.

Camus and Absurdity

Camus’ anarchism is a natural corollary to his philosophy of existentialism, a philosophy of the individual. To Camus, individuality, free will and rebellion were among the highest features of mankind and governments and societies only hindered the endeavors that these features produced. Camus said: “The only conception of freedom I can have is that of the prisoner or the individual in the midst of the State. The only one I know is freedom of thought and action.”(Kershaw 1). Albert Camus’ beliefs can relate to the absurd marijuana epidemic. In today’s society, The Government controls the legalization of marijuana which hinders man to be able to decide whether or not to use marijuana for medical use.

                In 1930, Albert Camus contracted tuberculosis and lived the rest of his life in agony (Kershaw 1). If Camus were to be alive today, he would think the marijuana epidemic is absurd due to the fact that marijuana is illegal. If there is a product that would help someone with an illness feel better, why should the Government have the power to deny the citizen the right to receive such a product?

Conclusion

In summation, those for and those against legalization of marijuana for all use in Texas are still fighting the good fight at this time. In September 2017, Texas issued its first medical marijuana license to Cansortium Texas with two more licenses expected to be awarded soon.  Cansortium Texas will be allowed to grow, process and sell medical marijuana for patients with intractable epilepsy. State lawmakers are still working to produce a bill that will include other medical conditions that respond favorably to medical marijuana. This epidemic is solvable and many states have proven this.

Works Cited

Campbell, Raylan. “Dependence Rates.” Why Ban Marijuana When It’s Less Addictive than Cigarettes? , Weedist, 21 Apr. 2014, www.weedist.com/2014/04/nidas-9-cannabis-addiction-rate-98-bs/.

Carter, Stephen. “Texas Governor Says No to Marijuana Legalization While He Is in Office.” Texas Cannabis Report, 1 June 2015, txcann.com/texas-governor-says-no-to-marijuana-legalization-while-he-is-in-office/.

Kershaw, Tom. “The Hollowverse.” Albert Camus' Religion and Political Views, 22 June 2013, hollowverse.com/albert-camus/.

Lilienfeld, Hal Arkowitz Scott O. “Experts Tell the Truth about Pot.” Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2012, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-pot/.

Ramsey, Ross. “UT/TT Poll: Support for Marijuana Growing like a Weed in Texas.” The Texas Tribune, 16 Feb. 2017, 12am, www.texastribune.org/.

Rogers, Brian. “New Policy to Decriminalize Marijuana in Harris County Will Save Time, Money, DA's Office Says.” Houston Chronicle, 16 Feb. 2017, www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-policy-to-decriminalize-marijuana-in-Harris-10935947.php.