The Left Hand Side

With today being today, I thought that I would reproduce in full and anthropology paper that I did a while back.  Afterwards, I'll share my top 5 favourite relevant songs.  Enjoy.

Should Cannabis Be Legalised?

Cannabis has been a staple of humanity throughout history.  Ancient cultures used the cannabis plant to make clothing and tools from the hemp stalk as well as use its properties in religious events and ceremonies[1].  The early days of the United States has cannabis literally woven into its foundation.  Starting in 1619 in Virginia, America’s first law regarding marijuana was a requisite on the farmers that they had to grow and produce hemp to be used in sails, rigging, caulking, food and fuel[2].  The state of Maryland used hemp as legal tender, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag out of hemp fabrics, and it is most likely that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper[3].  Indeed, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson all grew hemp as a cash crop on their lands and used it for medicinal purposes.  Further, from 1850 to 1942 in the United States Pharmacopoeia, marijuana was on America’s official list of accepted drugs, as well as small packs of marijuana were sold in pharmacies for migraines, insomnia and other maladies[4].  

Then in the early 1900’s, there was an influx of migrants to America from the Mexican Revolution as well as from the West Indies.  These groups used cannabis regularly, and due to intolerant racist views towards these and other minority groups, a hatred towards the cannabis they used and sold was developed, and by the 1920’s law enforcement was focusing on foreigners, minority races, sex workers, and social miscreants as the main users of marijuana[5].  It is during this time that the stigma against cannabis began, with reports that the drug caused the immigrating Mexicans to develop blood lust, a penchant for violence and violent crime, and superhuman strength.  At the same time a conflicting report from the government stated that cannabis caused “reefer madness”, and still others said that it cause amotivational syndrome, or the lack of motivation[6].  It is here that the debate on the legalisation of cannabis should look; the negative societal views towards the drug stemmed not from a medical reason or background, but from that of an intolerant racial one, which then spread out to other Westernised nations.

Even with the negative stigma associated with cannabis use and the legal repercussions that go with it, there is still a high usage rate for the drug.  In Australia, the statistics for 2004 were that one in every four young people had used marijuana in the pervious twelve month period[7].  In Europe this statistic increases to one of every two young people that have used marijuana.  With such a large proportion of the populace using cannabis, why then is there still laws making it illegal?

Most people when arguing for or against the decriminalization or legalisation of cannabis use comparisons with other commonly accepted drugs such as alcohol and tobacco.  Again using statistical analysis from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 1998 there were estimated 19,000 deaths from tobacco use, which made up eighty percent of all drug and alcohol related deaths.  Further, there were 2000 deaths attributed to alcohol, and 1000 deaths due to illicit drugs[8].  Making up the illicit drug category are all other drugs that are not alcohol or tobacco.  These include substances such as methamphetamines, cocaine, barbiturates, LSD, and cannabis.  It is possible to derive from these statistics then that illicit drugs make up the smallest category of the drug related fatalities, and of that small percentage, marijuana is only a small percentage again, thus making it many times safer and overall healthier than the widely used and legal tobacco and alcohol.  This opinion can be substantiated by the findings of the UK Police Foundation in 2000 which stated that when cannabis is systematically compared with other drugs against the main criteria of harm, namely mortality, morbidity, toxicity, addictiveness and relation to crime, it is less harmful to the individual and society than any of the other illicit drugs or than alcohol or tobacco[9].  This would appear to be a strong piece of evidence from very reliable sources for the advocation of the legalisation of marijuana. 

Opponents to the legalisation of cannabis have argued that there are many problems with the drug on the other hand.  Some of these arguments are sound and genuine, such as concerns for the health of the lungs and brain, some are held-over social misinformation such as marijuana causes homicidal tendencies, while others are just strange such as using marijuana causes the growth of male breasts[10].  The theory that marijuana is a ‘gateway’ drug that leads to the use of other more dangerous and harder drugs is also put forward by opponents to its legalisation.  Fergusson and Horwood stated that it is possible that when a cannabis user discovers that cannabis is pleasurable and non-harmful, they may think that it is okay to experiment with other drugs[11].  They go on to say that this possible experimentation with other drugs could be due to the social surroundings of the individual user and where they have to source their cannabis from. 

This stance in opposition to legalising marijuana could also lend itself very easily to being a reason for legalization.  The concern and view that the reason that a cannabis user will try other harder drugs due to where they have to source the cannabis from, such as irreputable dealers and unclean or unsafe sources, could be addressed easily with the legalization of marijuana.  This would provide authorised dealers to the public that would have to meet standards in the quality of their product, (thus eliminating “dirty” or laced marijuana) and the user then would not be confronted with a social setting that potentially had dangerous or illicit drugs around them and be able to curb that eventuality from happening. 

Currently, no Australian states have legalised the personal use of cannabis, however South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory have all decriminalised the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use by replacing penal sanctions with standard fines up to $250[12].  Compare this to the high cost in resources, paid by the taxpayers (which as mentioned previously one in four use cannabis) to police cannabis estimated at a cost of $329 million in 1991-92 in Australia, and there would appear to be a large gap between outgoing expenditures and incoming capitol generated from the fines[13].  Further, in those states which have not legislated to reduce criminal penalties…it is estimated that there are up to 476 people serving up to 15 months in prison with a simple personal cannabis offence as their most serious offence[14].  This is also a drain on the taxpayers that are paying for someone to be imprisoned for doing something that had no impact or caused harm on anyone but themselves.

A solution to the monetary problems generated by the policing and regulation of cannabis resides in the legalisation of it as well.  In 1988, it was estimated that the monetary turnover for the cannabis crop in Australia alone was a surplus of $1.09 billion[15].  Given the global financial crisis and the fact that every nation in the world, including Australia, is searching for ways to bolster their coffers, legalising cannabis and using it as a cash crop would be an economical boon to the country. 

Another argument against the legalisation of cannabis is that it is harmful to a person’s health.  There have been reports made on the negative side effects of marijuana use, and list the side effects as: a possibility to make you see and hear things that are not there, feel separated from reality, and in the long term increase the risk of getting bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory system, a decrease in motivation, decrease in concentration and ability to learn new things, and a lowered libido[16].  The counter-side to this argument is the highly successful use of cannabis in the medical profession for the treatment of many different maladies.  Examples of this include Jacki Rickert of Wisconsin, who in March of 2000 police raided her home.  She was forty-nine years old, ninety pounds (40.9kg) and wheelchair-bound.  Rickert had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which had her in constant pain and made eating very difficult.  She smoked marijuana to manage her pain and increase her appetite.  Rickert was one of eight patients in the Investigative New Drug Program who was allowed therapeutic distribution of 300 prerolled marijuana cigarettes per month.  When the police found a small amount of marijuana in her home, they pressed charges against her, even though she only used it to gain some quality of life from her illness[17].  Another case is that of Deborah Lynn Quinn of Arizona.  She was thirty-nine years old and born without legs or arms and sentenced to eighteen months in prison for illegally using marijuana to manage her physical pain.  The State Corrections director Terry Stewart who is known for his hard stance on drugs stated “I simply cannot understand how a judge can sentence a disabled woman to prison who presents absolutely no escape risk, no physical danger to the public, and who will be an extremely difficult and expensive person to care for at $345[US] per day, without exploring any alternative sentence measures…”[18]. 

In conclusion, the legalisation or decriminalisation of cannabis would be beneficial to Australia in the areas of finance, freeing up of police resources, medical treatments, and prison population decreases.  This would show a marked benefit in the populace at large as it would decrease black market drug trafficking, and stop being a problem for the youth trying to hide from over-regulation.  As Dr. Lester Grinspoon of the Harvard Medical School stated, “While marijuana is, in fact, remarkably free of toxicity, the consequences of annually arresting 300,000 mostly young people is not”[19]. 

Bibliography

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.  (2004). http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/sdua04/sdua04-c01.pdf (Accessed 27 Oct 2011).

Cohen, P.  (2009).  ANTH106 Cannabis Background – powerpoint presentation.  Macquarie University 

Dennis, M. and White, W.  (1999).  "The Marijuana legalization debate: Is there a middle ground?" in The Drug Legalization Debate , Inciardi, James A.  pp. 75-100

Dubner, S.  (2007).  On The Legalization – or not – of Marijuana.  http://www.freakonomics.com/2007/10/30/on-the-legalization-or-not-of-marijuana/?scp=1&sq=marijuana%2520legalization&st=cse (Accessed 27 Oct 2011).

Fergusson, D. and  Horwood, L.  (2000).  "Does cannabis use encourage other forms of illicit drug use?" Addiction.  95:4, pp.  505-520

Gerber, R.  (2004).  "History of demonizing drugs" in Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics.  pp. 1-16

Hall, W.  (1997).  "The recent Australian debate about the prohibition on cannabis use" Addiction. 92:9, pp. 1109-1115

Himmelstein, J.  (1983).  "From killer weed to drop-out drug: The changing ideology of Marihuana" Contemporary Crises: Crime, Law, Social Policy.  7:1, pp. 13-38

Iverson, L.  (2004).  “Cannabis and the Law – High Time for Reform?” European Review.  4:513-525. 

New South Wales Health.  (2006).  Marijuana Factsheet.  http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/drugAndAlcohol/marijuana.html  (Accessed 27 Oct 2011). 

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[1] Cohen, Cannabis Background Power Point, 2009

[2] Gerber, History of Demonizing Drugs, p. 2

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid, p.3

[6] Dennis & White, The Marijuana Debate, p. 75-76

[7] Australian Inst. Health & Welfare, http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/sdua04/sdua04-c01.pdf

[8] Ibid

[9] Iverson, Cannabis and the Law, p520

[10] Dennis & White, The Marijuana Debate, p. 84

[11] Fergusson & Horwood, Does Cannabis Use Encourage…, p. 506

[12] Hall, Debate About Prohibition, p. 1110

[13] Ibid, p. 1111

[14] Ibid, p. 1110

[15] Ibid, p. 1110

[16] New South Wales Health, http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/drugAndAlcohol/marijuana.html

[17] Gerber, History of Demonizing Drugs, p. 1

[18] Ibid

[19] Dubner, http://www.freakonomics.com/2007/10/30/on-the-legalization-or-not-of-marijuana/?scp=1&sq=marijuana%2520legalization&st=cse

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#5)  Sean Paul - We Be Burnin' (Original Version)

#4)  Sublime - Two Joints

#3)  Red Hot Chili Peppers - Zephyr Song

#2)  The Offspring - Mota

#1)  Rick James - Mary Jane 

Fire in the Sky

I know it's be a little while since I've posted, and a bit longer since it's been an actual REAL post at that, so I decided it was was time to get back to it.  In my defence, I have been busy with life; namely the last semester of uni which had a certain subject in it that demanded WAY too much workload for it's level, and I had forgotten to take it earlier, so I did before I forgot again.  So, now that that's over with, and my new classes (1, 2, & 3) are much cooler and nowhere NEAR as crazy on the workload, I'm able to come back and write to the wonderful void of Cyberspace.

One of my sisters has a tradition she started...two-ish?... years ago where she has a word for the year.  Not really a resolution per se, and that's fine. Now, much like my Dad, I don't really prescribe to the whole - "It's a new year so you need to make New Years Resolutions" way of thinking.  I like to think (much to the disagreement of my wife, who believes Mt Kilimanjaro to be more capable, and likely, of changing into a field mouse than I am of changing my 'ways') that I change aspects of me and my life as I need/want to throughout the year.

Whatever the case may be, I decided that maybe I should try something new this year.  As such, I have decided that this year, finally, I am going to do something that I have wanted to do my entire life;  I am going to learn to be a Blacksmith, and no, I don't mean this kind, either.  I mean the soot-breathing, ash & sweat covered, hard-working, hammer swinging kind.  I have always been intrigued with it; no, that's not quite right.  Fascinated?  Yes, well go fascinated, with a side of respect and a dash of wonderment to go please.  There's just something... primal, in a good way... about taking fire and using your own strength to beat and shape and coerce metal into wonderful shapes and things, be it tools, weapons, front gates or doorhandles.  I'm quite excited about this new project!

Also to go along with it, I have decided that I'm going to join one of the Nordic/Danish clubs in the area.  I know that there is one up on the northside around Petrie that have a few acres on the river that make their own armour, weapons, mead, and even built a longhouse and a long boat.  I think these might be the guys that I go with... but first things first:  I need to learn how to smith.

(I'd like to thank one of my most awesome friends Christine for the unintended inspiration for the perfect song to go with this post.)

TMBG?

For those of you that have asked, the song that I used for my mate "Dexter"'s theme song in this post is Monster Mouth by 9 Giants.  They're an alternative/electro-rock band from Phoenix, AZ.  The official video is included below for your audial and visual pleasure.  Enjoy.

Music for the Masses

I went to see these guys on Friday night with one of Cindy's and my friends, Ursula.  I had listened to them a little bit before and didn't think they were that bad, but after seeing them live, I have a whole new appreciation for just how much they rock and the overall great musicianship that they have.  Thus, I am sharing a song, (the one that has been stuck in my head, actually, but in a good way) with you all.  Hope you enjoy... as for myself, I think I'll be buying their CD on the way home...

Free Ride

Just because I believe this is one of the greatest motorsports in the world, and I also believe he is one of the greatest drivers in the world, I felt that I should share this with everyone.  Enjoy.

Good As I Once Was...

So, it was brought to my attention by a mate of mine last night that I hadn't updated this blog in a little while.  I didn't realise that by a little while, it had been two years though.  These last two years have been quite interesting.  They have seen me learn to ride a bike, buy one, sell it, and now buy another.  They have seen me out of my twenties and into my thirties.  Some friends have passed by the wayside like so much wasted chaff, whilst others have been found and made.

It is on the subject of two of these 'others', (one of which is the afore mentioned mate who reminded me to update the blog) that I will write about tonight.  You see, we went out on the town last night for a bit of a "Guys Night Out'.  Now, in years gone past and with other mates, I've gone out on the town.  We just went out, got down and funky with the crowds in whatever dives we happened to go to, tried to avoid trouble, and come morning, made our way home doing our best Dawn (or was it Shawn?) of the Dead impressions.  Fun was had by all.

Enter 2011.  Enter (and the names have been changed to [very loosely and badly] protect their identities) Nick Burns and Dexter.  Enter 30 year old me.  We decided that it was high-time that we had a guys night out.  With this one, however, is that it was quite more enjoyable; to the point that we are considering next time extending it to a road-trip weekend.  What was the difference?  Why was this night out better than the others I mentioned before?  We got a room in the city so that we wouldn't have to worry about getting cab fare back home, or someone to come pick us up at whatever twilight hour it might have been when we had decided that we had had enough.  When we wanted to crash, we just walked back to the room and did so.  Granted, this is a significant upgrade from the random unplanned chaos-infused night outs that I had been used to, but that in and of itself does not a good night out make.

No, I have thought about this, and have come to the conclusion that it was because of  Nick Burns and Dexter.  They are my speed and my type of people; quick, sarcastic, intelligent, and sharers in the belief that in the great gene-pool of humanity, someone forgot to put in the chlorine.  Couple that with the fact that we have moved into a more 'mature' stage of life, and have the ability to just relax, this all adds up to be quite good value and a great time out all round.  Of course, should we feel the need to go out and tie one on, I'm sure we're all as good once as we ever were.

Play That Funky Music....

Yes, yes, I know. We haven't posted anything in ages. Not to worry, in the near future, we will post the before, durring, and after pics of the house renovation. For not, please enjoy the accoustic musical stylings of Newton Faulkner (sp?) as seen on tonights episode of GNW.