Letters to the Editor: Readers are for, against Carney's vetoes of marijuana bills

Letters to the Editor
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Carney should veto marijuana bills

Dear Gov. Carney,

Thank you for having the courage to take a stand against the legalization of cannabis for non-medical use.

It is the epitome of irresponsible hypocritical idiocy to legalize an addictive, brain development inhibiting, judgment impairing, toxic dope at a time when drug overdosing is tragically killing Delawareans every day.

Please follow through on your vetoes. Do not give in.

Thank you.

Thomas Munro, Millsboro

Carney's beliefs about marijuana are flawed

When Gov. John Carney announced on Tuesday, May 23, that he would veto HB 371, he allowed his flawed personal beliefs about marijuana consumption to supersede the will of Delaware residents, the bipartisan efforts of our General Assembly, and racial justice initiatives across this country. By stating, that he believes legalizing recreational marijuana is not in the best interests of Delaware youth, he evokes the specter of “Reefer Madness” and the racial bias that has long informed the propaganda regarding cannabis use.

Cannabis (hemp) has a lengthy history of cultivation in the United States dating back to the 1600s; however, the history of its prohibition is steeped in racial prejudice. After the Mexican Revolution, immigrants in the southwestern U.S. helped to popularize the recreational use of the drug, and as the drug grew in popularity it became the fuel of anti-immigration policies that dominated the early 20th century, eventually leading to a ban on cannabis in the 1920s.

Today most people have come to understand the harm the war on drugs perpetrated in communities of color and recognize that it is impossible to separate the racist history of cannabis criminalization from the fight against decriminalization efforts today.

I encourage Gov. Carney to recognize the role bias plays in our existing cannabis laws because his present stance in support of the continued senseless prohibition is antiquated and ultimately contributes to the suffering of Delawareans.

Erica Jones, New Castle

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware marijuana: Why Carney should, should not veto bills | Letters