Throughout a latest interview, Puerto Rico Sen. Joanne Rodríguez Veve (of the conservative Proyecto Dignidad) expressed her misgivings concerning the legalization of adult-use hashish. As I’ve made clear earlier than on this weblog, Puerto Rico’s failure to completely legalize hashish strikes me as dreadfully self-defeating. At a time when the island is in dire want of jobs and income, the financial alternatives offered by the hashish business are being swatted away by most of its governing class—for no good cause. Struck with disbelief, I’m all the time curious to see how hashish detractors justify their opposition to additional legalization.
Rodríguez Veve is usually a pointy exponent of her concepts, however she was on shaky floor when discussing hashish. (PSA: THC isn’t hashish’ “occasion” part; it’s an integral a part of medical hashish, with purposes that assist most cancers and AIDS sufferers.) To her credit score, although, the senator acknowledged that she wanted to deepen her information when it got here to hashish. She additionally talked about that she plans to debate a bill that has been launched to legalize adult-use hashish in Puerto Rico with its sponsor.
But when the interviewer steered that Rodríguez Veve was “open to alter,” the senator countered, “truthfully … I don’t see myself taking a place in assist of marijuana legalization.” The senator powerfully advocates for her personal concepts, however is clearly skeptical concerning the capability of others to sway her, at the least on hashish coverage.
Rodríguez Veve used the time period despenalización (decriminalization), however I purposely translated it as “legalization” to keep away from confusion: The senator is open to decriminalizing hashish use, which is what is usually understood as decriminalization in america. As requires legalization develop all over the world, assist for decriminalization-only has turn out to be a well-liked hedge for politicians, who presumably determine they’ll come off as having a wise, middle-of-the-road place. Nobody needs to be in jail for smoking marijuana–however neither ought to there be shops brazenly promoting it.
Topic to scrutiny, nonetheless, decriminalization-only is a vacuous and counterproductive strategy. It does little to scale back hashish consumption, however deprives society of tax revenues and job creation related to mentioned consumption. Furthermore, a scarcity of authorized avenues to acquire hashish retains earnings within the flawed arms, and prevents the state from participating in constructive regulation geared to advertise well being and security (similar to making certain hashish merchandise are correctly labeled).
Rodríguez Veve harassed that it was essential to review the experiences of locations the place adult-use hashish has been legalized. Nicely, with greater than a dozen U.S. states (and all of Canada) having legalized adult-use hashish since 2012, there are many examples to review. If Puerto Rican hashish skeptics are going to deprive the island of development alternatives, then they need to make their case by pointing to the precise experiences of locations like Washington State and California—not some dystopia that exists solely of their imaginations.
And if the financial dimensions don’t transfer Rodríguez Veve, she ought to think about if opposition to legalizing adult-use hashish could be squared together with her ardent assist for private freedom. The senator has energetically argued towards what she perceives as unwarranted authorities intrusions into the lives of residents, together with vaccine mandates. Telling adults that they can not use hashish, even within the privateness of their houses, is a textbook instance of the nanny state in motion.
Rodríguez Veve’s feedback are a well timed reminder to proponents of legalization, in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, that there’s nonetheless a lot work to be finished educating key audiences on the information about hashish, highlighting the advantages of a authorized business, as backed up by the real-life examples. On the similar time, policymakers ought to proactively avail themselves of the knowledge essential to assume critically about legalization, at the least in the event that they wish to take a stance on the problem.