Niagara Falls man arrested for having a green-growing plant inside his car

Closeup of cage reserved for possessors of marijuana. Despite the police state and the incarceration of tens of thousands, people still do what they think is in their best interest. Tens of millions of Americans use marijuana illegally each year creating a nation of criminals. When people are not allowed to be lions, they adopt the characteristics of the fox. What is seen by this is that the desire for freedom is greater than the desire to obey oppressive government.

You can repeal marijuana laws right now! Do you think putting people in prison for the possession of a plant is a good law? If not, what would you do, if you were on a jury where a man is being tried for possessing marijuana and facing prison for a day, a month or a year? Even if it were proven that the man possessed the marijuana, would you vote to acquit, even if it meant hanging the jury? Even if he broke the law, would you stand up for what you believe is right and do the time–honored and ancient duty of the juror: to ignore unjust laws and vote your conscience?

The Niagara Falls Reporter doesn’t endorse the use of marijuana. In fact, we think it a rather foolish idea to smoke any plant. However, we are not fascists. If others believe it helps them, then we prefer not to dictate to others what they do with a plant, provided they harm no others.

Marijuana smokers are fond of their recreational drug and like to get “wasted.” Former smokers sometimes say smoking makes one lethargic and forgetful and that it stymies ambition. There are those who say they have alleviated pain through marijuana. There are those who say they had mystical experiences through the use of marijuana. Innumerable artistic and musical works have been created by people who used marijuana. Innumerable works of pure idiocy were produced from people so high on marijuana that, at the time, they thought it the world’s greatest masterpiece.

At 9:30 am, on Nov. 19, 2012, Christopher Carter, age 22, of 1922 Niagara St., was driving through the 1300 block of Ashland Ave. when he was stopped and arrested. He wasn't driving erratically nor had he hit another motorist, nor was he accused of speeding in a school zone.

No, the crime that had caught the attention of police officers was that he was seen holding a plant - one of God's most beautiful creations - out the window of his car.

This was no ordinary green growing plant, however. It was a marijuana plant and that meant charging Carter with unlawful possession of this living organism, a crime which could carry fairly serious penalties. If a citizen is caught with less than 25 grams of marijuana in the State of New York in 2012, he or she is subject to a jail sentence of 15 days, not much time admittedly, but enough time for a working man to lose his job.

If one is caught in possession of having two to eight ounces of marijuana in the Empire State, it could mean going to jail for up to a year.

Don't get us wrong. Neither this writer nor this newspaper advocates smoking marijuana. We don't do it ourselves, nor do we encourage the practice, just like we don't encourage the excessive consumption of alcohol or the abuse of pain pills, both of which are rampant in America today.

Still, as an issue of personal freedom, the choice should be up to the individual. At a time when other states are legalizing the use of pot, both for medicinal and recreational purposes, why is the supposedly liberal State of New York, known for decades as the cradle of civil rights and worker rights, lagging so far behind?

A quick stroll through the facts of the situation is in order:

Marijuana is not only the third most popular recreational drug in America (after alcohol and tobacco), it is widely acknowledged as the safest of the three. According to the latest US government survey, 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, despite harsh penalties in many states for its use.

According to the National Institutes of Health, approx. 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning (and this does not count vehicular deaths attributable to alcohol). Tobacco smoking kills some 400,000. By contrast, marijuana is non-toxic and cannot lead to death as a result of overdosing.

No wonder the highly respected European medical journal, “The Lancet” recently declared: “The smoking of cannabis (marijuana), even long term, is not harmful to health...It would be reasonable to judge cannabis less of a threat... than alcohol or tobacco.”

A 1995 World Health Organization study concluded that, “The estimated lethal dosage (of cannabis) is so high, it cannot be achieved by the user.”

No wonder voters in both Colorado and Washington state passed marijuana legalization referendums with 55% majorities last Nov. 6.

Currently, 18 states from Maine to California have legalized marijuana for medical uses. At a time when accidental overdose deaths from narcotic pain killers such as hydrocodone have reached epidemic levels (CNN recently devoted an hour special to this subject), cannabis seems like a relatively tame and effective alternative.

For example, a 2010 study by the University of California Center for Medical Cannabis Research concluded that, “Cannabis should be a first line treatment for patients dealing with diseases such as cancer, and MS.”

In fact, a number of studies seem to indicate that while in past decades researchers mainly looked upon cannabis as a pain suppressant, more recently it is being studied as a potential treatment that might stop or slow down the spread of cancer cells while also fighting ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disorder.

Does this mean that marijuana is a completely harmless drug full of nothing but positive results and no negative side effects whatsoever?

No. On all of God's green Earth, there is no such drug or medication to be found that we know of. Even the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) web site admits that cannabis can be dangerous if used by pregnant or nursing mothers, teens, or those with mental illness.

Still, considering the inherent dangers of so many other drugs that are often prescribed like they were candy by doctors and hawked like soda pop on TV, you have to wonder why our own Empire State has been so slow to recognize the positive realities of pot.

Of course, none of this is of much help to the Chris Carters of this nation. In many states throughout our Home of the Brave, these people are still facing prison sentences for possessing small amounts of cannabis.