The Noisey Editorial Board Is Also Endorsing a Repeal of the Federal Ban on Marijuana

This is a photo of someone secretly smoking weed at a music festival. Hopefully soon we won't have to deal with this nonsense. (Photo credit: Ellie Pritts)

Yesterday, The New York Times wrote an op-ed from their editorial board in which they endorsed the repeal of the federal government ban on marijuana. Their reason for endorsement, aside from the obvious fact that smoking weed and getting high is awesome, was the following:

The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast. There were 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, according to F.B.I. figures, compared with 256,000 for cocaine, heroin and their derivatives. Even worse, the result is racist, falling disproportionately on young black men, ruining their lives and creating new generations of career criminals.

There is honest debate among scientists about the health effects of marijuana, but we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that addiction and dependence are relatively minor problems, especially compared with alcohol and tobacco. Moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for otherwise healthy adults. Claims that marijuana is a gateway to more dangerous drugs are as fanciful as the “Reefer Madness” images of murder, rape, and suicide.

Here at Noisey, we agree wholeheartedly. In fact, we’ve been arguing for the use of marijuana for quite some time now. We’ve found the greatest blunts on Instagram. We’ve explained the important value of bongripping and wizard rock. We wondered what it would be like if Seinfeld smoked weed. Plus, we found 420 songs about weed to celebrate the smokers’ holiday this past April (a playlist we are still listening to because it’s so god damn long, by the way).

In other words, it’s about time The New York Times has caught up with Noisey’s brilliant foresight.

This is all somewhat hilarious, considering the Paper of Record's rich history of harshing our mellow. David Brooks wrote a pretty stupid column in January titled “Weed: Been There, Done That,” in which he told stories about smoking the ganja and being a pothead for like 30 seconds when he was a teenager, and how all weed consumption is bad because of those 30 seconds. After Colorado’s legalization, Maureen Dowd went and experimented first hand, but ate one too many edibles and ended up hiding underneath the sheets on her hotel room bed with the walls apparently collapsing or something (after which she probably ate like 17 bowls of Captain Crunch, but that didn’t make the article).

But hey, people change, and Noisey would like to be the first to congratulate the Times in their move toward getting it. The fact is that one of the major obstacles for legalization of the past 40 years has been social perception, the idea that you can’t smoke weed unless you got a bunch of dreadlocks and play hacky sack and listen to Bob Marley. Why do we insist on the idea that you can’t smoke weed unless you’re wearing tie-dye when it's a proven fact that weed, among other things, makes music sweeter? Who doesn't want music to sound sweeter? No one, that's who. As a music site, it's our responsibility to point that out.

Moreover, it's also our responsibility to echo the Times' points about prohibition lending itself to racist, discriminatory enforcement, enforcement that has a major, detrimental effect on many of the communities whose music we cover. Racist enforcement of marijuana laws and rampant incarceration as a result fuels the social climate that gives us environments like those on the South Side of Chicago or Compton. Plus, there was that time when Wiz Khalifa got tossed in jail for some weed stuff while in Texas. Just think: that was a period during which the world was without someone who could perform "We Dem Boyz."

Personally speaking, marijuana has helped me not only enjoy music a billion times more, but it's assisted me with anxiety, frustration, anger, sleeping issues, and countless other mental struggles I’ve faced in my short life. This is not to say that we should be irresponsible—when legalization finally does happen, I believe the sale of marijuana should be rigorously regulated and taxed—but it’s encouraging that I could probably spark up a joint in front of my parents while they each enjoy a glass of wine, and everything will be cool and no one will die. Hell, maybe they'll even partake. But one thing's for certain—whatever music is playing on the stereo will sound way sweeter because we'll be stoned. And who knows, maybe it will even usher in a new golden age of jazz, but doper.

Eric Sundermann never bogarts a joint. He's on Twitter — @ericsundy

--

The Greatest and Best Blunts on Instagram

420 Songs About Weed

What If Seinfeld Smoked Weed?