 "Photo: Peyton McGee/The Daily Texan")
The pungent aroma of burning marijuana filled the air above Momo’s outside patio Saturday night as patrons expressed their support for marijuana legalization.
The Texas chapter of The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, commonly known as NORML, held the Fourth Annual Sixth Street Smokeout to recruit members and garner support for the legalization of marijuana. The event drew support from organizations that support legalization of the drug.
“Adults should not have to worry about being prosecuted, locked up or being fined even for using marijuana. It just doesn’t make any sense,” said Josh Schimberg, Texas NORML’s executive director.
The chapter and cooperating groups sold merchandise and distributed pamphlets at the event amid the psychedelic tunes of five local bands.
Cannabis was the third leading active ingredient of patent medicines for sale in America in 1900, according to Gregory T. Carter, a doctor with the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
However, after the 1910 Mexican Revolution, anti-drug campaigns began to raise fears about the “Marijuana Menace” as Americans were introduced to recreational cannabis use, Carter said.
“Rational minds need to take over the war on drugs, separating myth from fact, right from wrong, and responsible, medicinal use from other, less compelling behavior,” Carter said in the review.
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced a medical marijuana bill authored by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., during the 2007 legislative session, but it was never voted on.
“In [Paul’s] opinion, it is not a wise choice to use and abuse many of the substances that are illegal today. However, it is a matter of personal freedom and choice,” said Rachel Mills, a spokeswoman for Paul. “People should be free to make their own choices and be responsible for the consequences.”
Many politicians question the medicinal effectiveness of legalizing marijuana.
“To legalize marijuana will undermine ongoing efforts by the drug enforcement community to fight the costly war on drugs,” said Lauren Bean, spokeswoman for Rep. Michael C. Burgess, R-Texas. “I think it is obvious that it hits kids at an early age and affects them for the rest of their lives. It can shatter families.”
Bean said Burgess has practiced medicine for 25 years. In 1997, he cited a National Institutes of Health report that Bean said indicated that “scientific evidence was insufficient to definitely assess marijuana’s therapeutic potential.”
“If marijuana was legalized, we would certainly see a sharp reduction in the power of drug cartels,” said Emily Cowan, a member of the Travis County Libertarian Party who tabled at the event.
Schimberg cited a National Drug Control policy that states the U.S. government spent $19 billion on the war on drugs in 2003, and half of the arrests made in that year were marijuana-related. He said he foresees legalization within 10 years.
“It’s hard for us as an organization to go against the federal government that has tens of billions of dollars to throw at their drug war,” said Schimberg. “Hopefully, in the future we will be able to [develop] a political action committee and try to counteract the propaganda that is being put out by the federal government.”
