On January 22, Vermont passed legislation legalizing the use of marijuana, becoming the eighth state since 2012 to give a green thumbs-up to Americans enjoying the occasional joint. Though selling pot still remains off limits in the majority of states, passing the law is a step in the right direction.

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But it’s a step into uncertainty as well, in light of Attorney General Jeff Session’s newfound war against cannabis. Much to the chagrin of pro-tokers, Sessions recently weeded out Obama-era guidances that essentially allowed states to legalize marijuana with minimal federal interference.

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While President Donald Trump stated during campaign interviews with the Washington Post and Bill O’Reilly that he’d leave such matters to the hands of state governments, it’s clear Sessions has a different prerogative. A Senate drug hearing last April witnessed Sessions claim “good people don’t smoke marijuana,” and predict a dystopian America overrun by perpetually stoned citizens whose pastimes would lead to “lives impacted, families broken up, and children damaged.”

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Perhaps Sessions should roll up his generalizations and consider whether turning back the time on four years of progress is the best use of his time.  The THC health benefits alone should be convincing for Sessions to change his mind.

According to Harvard Health, cannabis is a natural muscle-relaxant and pain reliever, mitigating a myriad of ailments ranging from multiple sclerosis to fibromyalgia to PTSD in recently-discharged veterans. Cannabinoids have been proven to inhibit the growth of cancer cells as well as tumors.

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CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s documentary “WEED” includes the story of Charlotte Figi, a five year old whose medical marijuana treatment for Dravet’s Syndrome has brought her number of weekly seizures from 300 to just one.

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Borderline-miraculous stories like these are a dime a dozen, with more medical dispensaries popping up in weed friendly states.

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Even more convincing for the argument of legalization is economic impact. New Frontier Data’s annual report predicted that the marijuana industry would provide 250,000 jobs as an $11.2 billion industry by 2020.

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These numbers, which don’t even factor states that might legalize in the near future, provide hopeful contrast to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ bleak predictions for the fields of manufacturing, government and utility which are expected to see a combined  loss of 1.2 million jobs over the next six years.

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Would America, in the face of all this employment, subsequently continue to appropriate federal funds (estimated in 2012 to be $3.6 billion) to prosecute the hundreds of thousands of inmates tossed in the slammer for simple possession?

On July 20 of last year, citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia paid $79.28 for every inmate – 127 – incarcerated for possession of marijuana. That’s $10,000 that could have been better spent on Virginia’s education, healthcare or even making Wards Road less of a gridlocked nightmare when 4 p.m. rolls around.

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But what about the cost for those caught with marijuana? I myself have a friend who was expelled from his university only a year from graduation for storing his roommate’s stash. That’s nothing compared to Bernard Noble, a trucker and father of seven who is currently serving 13 years for the 2.8 grams of marijuana found in his pocket in 2010, according to reporting from the New York Times.

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To make matters even more concerning, this misfortune does not equally affect all races. Despite findings that Caucasians and African-Americans use about the same amount of weed, the ACLU reported in 2013 that black men and women are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for possession of Marijuana. In one Iowan county, that number jumps to 30 times more likely, suggesting that the only thing the War on Drugs has actually accomplished is providing a catalyst for furthering racial disparity.

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I’m in no way advocating for Liberty students to start combing for hashish on Lynchburg’s more questionable streets, as sobriety will always be the best choice.

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But classifying weed to be just as sinister as heroin and bath salts is overkill. Heroin has caused over 16,000 deaths since 2000 according to the CDC, and the latter drug was made famous when a Florida man hopped up on bath salts ate his friend’s face off.

 

You know what Schedule 1 drug doesn’t cause overdoses or impromptu cannibalism? Weed.