Reporter: With the state of New Jersey legalizing recreational use of marijuana it seems that many states may be soon to follow as well as New York. Perhaps once they legalize, selling in medical dispensaries like the one behind me right now. Whether or not you’re in favor of such a change there’s no doubt this change could affect the youth populations in the state of New York. The question is what will the state and other states around the country do to take precautions for perhaps addiction and drug abuse that come from legalization.
Samir Mahadin: We’re gonna legalize this thing, and we should. Make no mistakes about it
Reporter: That’s farmer Samir Mahadin, he grows hemp plants and wrote a pro legalization article on Syracuse dot com a couple days ago addressing some of the ways New York should prepare for legalization in the case of abusers.
Samir Mahadin: I mean you look at something I guess like alcoholics anonymous, helps a lot of alcoholics
Reporter: Specific treatment is needed, and the thing is while marijuana and other drugs stay illegal, those who may need treatment specifically for other drugs are going untreated, and often ending up in jail. Youth and college campuses are a hotbed for drug use. According to a University of Michigan study, 43% of full-time college students reported using marijuana at least once in the past 12 months. The focus, a student says needs to be on helping abusers, not jailing them.
Student: I think it’s more about rehabilitation than punishment. I admire what Oregon did recently where everyone was giving them, you know kind of just making fun of them for legalizing every drug, but what they really did is legalize very small amounts of it so that they could better rehabilitate people who are actually crippling addicted to these sorts of drugs instead of just sending them away to jail
Reporter: Nick Merriam N-C-C News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Recently the state of New Jersey legalized the recreational use of marijuana. With the states proximity and similar politics to here in New York, it seems recreational legalization may not be far away.
On Tuesday, farmer Samir Mahadin published an article on syracuse.com voicing his support of legalization, but also bringing up the real discussions that need to be had once legalization occurs.
“Still at any age there is a potential for cannabis abuse, which sometimes leads to other substance abuse,” said Samir. “So, it is critical that we establish systems of support for those who may be harmed by cannabis abuse. With legalization, unrestricted research and development can be made into the mental health aspects of cannabis use and abuse.”‘
The question is how will New York go about looking into these topics. Addiction and abuse aren’t well researched when it comes to marijuana because of its illegal status. But, much like how Alcoholics Anonymous exists for those with alcoholism, there will be people who need help with this newly legalized substance.
Legalization in the end may be the best thing for those with any addiction issues, or even anyone who just wants to stop smoking and can’t. Instead of criminalization, new laws may promote rehabilitation for those who do need help.
I sat down with farmer Samir Mahadin to discuss his recreational marijuana article on https://t.co/vSdQDtMsKh from Tuesday. In his article he went over the benefits and potential outcomes of legalization.
