BronxTalk: Legalize It?

by Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (www.wamm.org).

By Nile Gayle

Bronx Journal Staff

Raynaldo Maria believes in legalization.

The debate about legalizing marijuana has raged for years in the United State. In some states like California, marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes. However, many Americans think it should be legal for recreational use as well.

Pro and con arguments can be found on both sides of the issue:

• Marijuana may not have side effects as severe as other drugs, but it can cause short-term memory loss and depression.
• While it can help cancer patients, marijuana reduces sperm count in males. In females, it weakens their immune systems and makes it hard to fight STDs such as Herpes 2.
• Some say the crime rate would decrease with legalization, while others believe it would lead to more crime.
• Pro-legalization advocates argue it’s not a crime because it comes from the earth, while others argue it is a gateway drug which leads to abuse of more powerful substances.
• Legalization could increase the number of users and the number of addicts, who might continue to abuse it because there is no longer a deterrent.

This week, I asked several Bronxites if they thought marijuana should be legal. Here is what they had to say:

Trevor Walters, 27

Trevor Walters

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “I think marijuana should be legal because nobody has ever died from it. In the case of alcohol, a lot of people have died from alcohol overdose or alcohol poisoning. But we’ve never heard anything about anybody dying from marijuana. It should be legal because it’s also a natural plant growing from the earth. It’s not manufactured.”

Jose Deleon, 20

Lehman College student, Bronx

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “I don’t think it should be illegal. I think they should legalize it, because it’s safer than drinking, it’s a good time, it helps out cancer patients. So why not? It’s better for us. It’s tax free.”

Giovanni Coronado, 21

Lehman College graduate, Bronx

Jose Delon Givanni Coronado

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “Of course. It helps with hunger, helps going through hard times. It helps a lot. It definitely should be legalized.”

Gary Myrie, 19

Lehman College student, Mount Vernon

Gary Myrie

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “I personally don’t use it so I don’t see the bad effects. I think it should be.”

Darius Carter, 24

Lehman College graduate, Bronx

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “It should be illegal because it’s a drug and it could mess up the way people think. It should definitely be illegal.”

Justin Gollop, 22

Lehman College student, Bronx

Justin Gollop

Q: Do you think marijuana should be legal for recreational use?

A: “Hell no. It should be legal.”