Thanks for pot legalization bill but…

I want to sincerely thank our new Sen. Sixto Igisomar for introducing a bill to legalize marijuana for medical use. It’s about time. There are a lot of supporters for legalization who knew that it would be a new and young member of our Legislature who would understand modern times and have the wisdom and fortitude to legalize it. Kudos to you, senator, and thank you for getting the ball rolling on this important and critical issue as this is the kind of thing that most voters want and expect from our new leaders—a new attitude with the desire to champion old issues that have lingered for entirely too long.

While it is great that the senator will introduce medical legalization, there is still an overwhelming desire of CNMI supporters for full legalization on medicinal and recreational use. The man’amko will be the first to tell you that medicinal use has been in existence before medical use ever since marijuana was introduced in the CNMI back during the Trust Territory days by the Peace Corps, who first brought seeds to the islands. There is also the fact that the real financial benefit of the new and growing marijuana industry is in recreational use, not medical. It is well documented that medical use alone will forever be challenged and full of loopholes when it comes to accountability. There will certainly be those seeking to circumvent and exploit the medical use system of sales, leading to more marijuana crimes instead of eliminating all marijuana crimes. In fact, people are already talking about how they can manipulate or circumvent a medical marijuana system.

We must understand and realize that ordinary people who are not sick are going to use marijuana for recreational purposes regardless! So do we fix the entire problem or put a medical Band Aid on the issue, only to let it linger until we see full legalization in Guam and the rest of America—the dead last phenomenon again. We need to become leaders in the marijuana reforms that are sweeping America, which are being pushed by the President himself, who said on national TV, “We must move forward with marijuana reforms and stop locking up our youth for something most adults have tried.” It’s obvious and has been observed in the annals of legalization that, with only medical use being legal, we will still be locking up our youth for something most adults have tried. “Medical use only” falls short of society’s expectation and even the equality principle of legalizing it for everyone, which is why we must take the leap to full legalization.

It is high time we put the ridiculous marijuana war to rest and take a serious look at full legalization through the moratorium I proposed and then put it to a vote by the people. Marijuana and its use can never be eradicated so if we are to learn to live with it and catch up to Guam and the rest of America, we need to take the full leap as Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. have. Yes, even our nation’s capital allows recreational use. So do we really want to reject hundreds of millions that we can earn in the newest and fastest growing billion-dollar industry in America? Do we really want to wait until Guam legalizes recreational use and take all the market for tourists from Asia who want to smoke? Or do we become the competitor we should be and move a step ahead of Guam, as Guam leaders are already talking about recreational use because of the tremendous voting support realized in the recent election for legalization.

The CNMI has been chasing and trying to be like Guam since the Trust Territory days and we still haven’t caught up in many areas and we won’t unless we take a new attitude and start competing for tourists like we should. Competition is healthy and it breeds quality and improvements so let’s compete with Guam instead of following Guam, like we have done for decades. I’m sure there are a lot us hoping that the senator and the Legislature will improve on the bill and give us full legalization and not just a medical Band Aid that will surely be torn off by many and exploited to the fullest extent. We can easily expect all kinds of fraud and manipulation to get medical marijuana, creating more crime for the justice system.

There are many of us truly thankful for your efforts, senator, and please don’t take this personal and view my constructive comments as an attack on your bill because you have done a great service to get legalization on the table again. In fact, you have restored some faith in our government to lead and act on lingering issues that need to be championed. But it is obvious we can build on your bill to create an even better legislation that will better serve us all economically and not just those needing a form of medical treatment as this is not a special interest issue for a few. So let’s get real and make all legalization stakeholders and supporters happy!

P.S.: FYI, readers, Guam approved medical use with over 18,000 of the 22,000 votes—an 81 percent approval so we know it is just a matter of time before they legalize it for recreational use. I also want to remind readers that I worked hard to try and get the CNMI ahead on interisland transportation and commerce in the Marianas with a ferry system that was killed. Now Guam, which is already the hub for the airline market in the Marianas, is working hard to create their own ferry system to fully control the tourists and even commerce in the Marianas! There is nothing wrong with healthy competition between the CNMI and Guam but we had better learn and be willing to compete or we will be left behind again and again, never to catch up with Guam’s economic prosperity. The last I heard the minimum wage in Guam, just 79 miles away, is $7.75 and going up. This is your wake-up call for full legalization!

Ambrose M Bennett
Kagman, Saipan