PHS PERSPECTIVE: The legalization of pot gets mixed reaction

By Tiffany Wang and Jinwoo Chong
   Pot. Weed. Marijuana. Call it what you want, but cannabis sativa is arguably the world’s most famous plant.
   With a history dating back thousands of years, honored with its own day of celebration — March 20, also known as National Marijuana Day — and currently in the center of a massive debate over its purported medicinal properties, this particular leaf is no stranger to man.
   However, the recent legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington and Colorado has once again stirred up a long-running debate — should ‘weed’ be made legal and accessible to the American people for recreational use?
   The medicinal use of marijuana is currently legal in 18 states, ranging from doses of 1 to 24 ounces per person. It is a law that has given rise to marijuana infused chocolate, candy, energy drinks, toothpaste, pastries and other assorted alternatives to direct inhalation of the fumes.
   Despite the fact that the use of recreational marijuana in small amounts was only legalized in Washington and Colorado — far from the state of New Jersey — it has managed to stir up some controversy in the bustling town of Princeton.
   And while Princeton might seem like the last place in the world for such controversy to exist, exist it does — most surprisingly in the halls of Princeton High School.
   One student, who chose to remain anonymous, said, “It’s totally ridiculous that they’re doing this. I just don’t understand why people would ever stand behind legalization of pot.”
   Strong opposition to marijuana legalization is understandable; recreational smoking of marijuana has long been known to have adverse side effects.
   According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, marijuana intoxication causes “distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving … chronic users [of marijuana] … may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.”
   But with the torrent of statistics and scientific justification comes urban myth and public opinion. The rumors are numerous, but the fact remains the prolonged use of marijuana has become a heated debate between parents and children, students and faculty, between friends, co-workers and siblings.
   However, although the side effects of using marijuana are considerable, the effects of marijuana are less detrimental than those of smoking cigarettes.
   ”I don’t understand why cigarettes are legal when secondhand smoke is just as bad, if not worse, than THC,” said William Meyer, ‘13.
   Still other students argued for the possible benefits that would arise from marijuana legalization, including economic benefits.
   ”As of now marijuana is part of the large underground economy in this country. If the sale is legalized it would allow for taxation,” said another anonymous student. “Therefore, it would create in influx of billions of dollars into our economy, which would give a huge boost to our GDP and potentially lessen national debt and decrease unemployment, since people would be hired in order to plant, package and produce marijuana.”
   For others, the legalization of marijuana seems merely an inevitable step in the progression of the modern American society.
   ”I think that this country will eventually legalize marijuana because we’ve been getting more progressive,” said Meyer. “Legalization seems like something that’s going to happen in the next few years. A lot of it depends on what the Supreme Court decides, since it’s currently a federal law that bans use. If the federal law changes, it’ll probably be legal throughout the whole country in less than 10 years. If not, states would have to legalize it individually and could take much longer.”
   ”I think laws follow attitudes and cultural norms, instead of the other way around,” said another student, who wished to remain anonymous.
   So, as Colorado and Washington prepare for the impact the new state legislation will undoubtedly inspire throughout the country, Princeton High School maintains a generally ambivalent attitude.
   Some predict a fast cultural overhaul across the nation, while others, confident in the permanence of the withstanding federal law that prohibits the widespread use of recreational marijuana, are considerably more skeptical.
   Either way, ‘weed’ remains taboo.
   Tiffany Wang and Jinwoo Chong are seniors at Princeton High School.