LBCC Students Debate Legalization of Marijuana

Colorado did it. Washington did it. Who’s next?

Students, staff and faculty joined forces in the DAC on May 15 to debate the legalization of marijuana and
hemp in Oregon.

Frank Clark and Cole Coleman argued in favor of marijuana legalization while Eric Noll and Grant Garcia
argued in opposition.

Those in favor of the proposition argued that, “Marijuana is safer than both cigarettes and alcohol, which are both addictive. They also pointed out that it has never killed anyone from over-consumption.

Additionally, the medical benefits are evident for people with glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, Fibromyalgia, arthritis and other diseases, according to Coleman.

Clark further urged adoption to compensate for reductions in state education funding due to the loss of tax revenue from declining home values.

Coleman later stated, “Knowledge is power, but enough with ‘just say no and drugs are bad.’” He argued for having safe drug classes akin to safe sex classes. He further stated, “Educators must be honest about the harm or risk associated with different drugs.”

Clark also said that hemp should be made legal. He proclaimed, “Hemp is illegal despite its diverse uses.”
He noted that the drug cartels are using Oregon forest regions to hide and grow a multi-billion dollar marijuana industry.  In the meantime, our “rural economy is suffering” and since “one of the main revenues of this state is farming,” it would make sense if we cultivated marijuana.

Clark pointed out that Oregon has “the optimal climate, necessary equipment, a ready workforce looking for jobs, and a need to increase the quality of living.”

Both noted that legalization would lead to a reduction in arrests, especially for recreational users. This would enable police to devote more time to pursuing ‘real’ criminals.

On the other side of the aisle, Eric Noll argued that the voters have already spoken by defeating the legalization measure in the last election. He also argued that “legalization for the purposes of funding education is wrong.”  He felt that there are other bills that should be adopted by legislators. He also inquired as to what would be done with people who had broken the law and were already incarcerated. Do they get a free pass even though they broke the law? Is there a guarantee that money will actually be made from this legalization scheme? He also questioned whether it was possible to regulate the industry, since pot is so easy to grow.

Garcia basically supported the opposition with references to HB 3194 and SB 822 which have addressed this issue.   He also stated, “Excessive use of marijuana reduces cognitive learning.” Both contenders against legalization stated that legalization should not be done to subsidize funding for education.

Javier Cervantes, director of the DAC, was concerned with the excessive impact on people of color by law enforcement due to drug laws. He stated, “How can we justify the disproportionate amount of arrests in our communities?”

The debate ended with the audience giving the nod to the team arguing for legalization. All of the team members were commended for doing a great job.

Mark Urista, communication instructor, hosted the event and the audience was shown the short movie, “The Art of Debate”, from THNKR. According to this short, people are continuously engaging in debate, even when they are not aware of it.

While conducting a survey of 12 students, there were three against and nine for the legalization of marijuana/hemp.

Brianna Hook stated, “Marijuana has put my mother’s Crohns Disease in remission for a year and half so far, and I believe that it’s better to prescribe than chemically made drugs in a lab.”

Deanna Page responded by saying, “It grows in the wild; we can go pick it. So why not make it legal? If you don’t like it, don’t do it.

While researching this subject, the Pew Research Center has reported that 52 percent of Americans are supporters of legalization marijuana. Proponents in Oregon are getting ready to get signatures for the ballot in 2014, so remember the seven percent loss from last year.

Below are the many uses of hemp in the past in history:

MIZOZO- The History of Hemp from 2727 BC to present