At the beginning of the New Year, a long queue was witnessed at the gate of a pharmacy in Denver, Colorado. People were waiting to buy marijuana, which just acquired legality through passed resolutions. Presently, legal marijuana is divided into two categories, medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. Previously, 18 states and District of Columbia have allowed the possession and the use of marijuana by medical institutions. The success in legalization of marijuana in medical use paved the way for the legalization of marijuana in recreational use in Colorado.
Colorado unties recreational marijuana, allowing selling marijuana to citizens above 21 from 2014 on. Because of this, Colorado is dubbed \"America's Amsterdam\".
新年伊始,美國科羅拉多州丹佛的一家藥房門口排起了長龍,人們?nèi)杠S等待購買的不是別的,正是剛剛通過法律決議,允許合法買賣的大麻。據(jù)悉,美國目前合法的大麻分為醫(yī)用大麻和娛樂性大麻兩類。而此前,美國已有18個州及哥倫比亞特區(qū)允許因醫(yī)療機構(gòu)持有和使用大麻。醫(yī)用大麻的成功合法化,為此次科羅拉多州娛樂性大麻合法化鋪設了道路。
科羅拉多州首為娛樂性大麻松綁,自2014年起準許向年齡達到21歲及以上的居民銷售大麻。也因為此,科羅拉多州被媒體稱為了“美國的阿姆斯特丹”。
But from Amsterdam to Colorado, and from medical use to recreational use, the journey for marijuana to gain legal rights has always been full of obstacles. As early as in 1936, America's film \"Reeder Madness\" was the starting point of marijuana prohibition. Generally speaking, people’s impression on marijuana always seems to be related to some key words, such as hippies, negative or rebellious.
From Woodstock to the Beatles generation, marijuana, together with Kerouac and Ginsberg were the symbols of that era. Some advocates say: \"Due to the government's lies, people of Woodstock’s age are very disgusted with marijuana.\" These advocates were discriminated, harassed, or even taken as criminals because of their experience with marijuana. In the past years, those looking forward to the liberalization of marijuana proposed many initiatives. For example, in 1991, an American advocate founded marijuana festival in Seattle--an annual meeting which aims to promote the reform of marijuana laws. They not only has provided a platform for free speeches, but also invited rock bands to perform.
但不論是從阿姆斯特丹到科羅拉多,還是從醫(yī)用到娛樂,大麻的松綁之路一直飽受爭議。早在1936年,美國發(fā)行反大麻電影《大麻狂熱》,成為禁止大麻戰(zhàn)役的開始。而與此同時,以身體自主權(quán)、醫(yī)學真理、經(jīng)濟效益為由的大麻合法化運動也在持續(xù)進行。歷史上,人們對于大麻的印象也似乎總是與一些關鍵詞有關,比如嬉皮士,比如消極,比如叛逆。
從伍德斯托克到垮掉的一代,大麻與凱魯亞克、金斯堡一起成為了那個時代的標志。一些大麻合法化倡議者說:“因為政府的謊言,伍德斯托克時代的人們非常反對大麻。”這些倡議者也曾經(jīng)因吸食大麻而遭到歧視、騷擾,甚至被當成罪犯。在過去的歲月里,期待大麻自由化的人士掀起過多次倡議行動,比如在1991年,美國一位大麻倡議者便在西雅圖創(chuàng)辦了大麻節(jié),這個一年一度的集會旨在促進大麻相關法律的改革、完善,不僅為其提供了一個發(fā)表言論的平臺,還會邀請搖滾樂隊登臺演出。
Marijuana has been accompanied by controversies since its birth, but obstacles hindering its legalization and supports for it both remain. And in the process of marijuana legalization, opinions of the public cannot be ignored. Referendum is a must in every legalization case in the United States. Early in November, 2013, the referendum for recreational marijuana was passed with a popularity rating of 54.9%, which was even higher than Obama in the presidential election. The pass of the bill of marijuana legalization resolution will not only bring profound influence to the global marijuana market, but also cause the concerns of people from all walks of life.
大麻似乎自誕生以來便伴隨著爭議,支持與反對的力量此消彼長。但這場彌久角斗卻不可否認地促成了大麻的日漸開放,盡管過程漫長而艱辛。而在政府為大麻松綁的過程中,民眾的呼聲更是不可忽略的力量。美國每一次大麻的法律解放,都經(jīng)過了全民公投。早在2013年11月,科羅拉多州便以54.9%的支持率通過了將娛樂用大麻合法化的公民投票。當時投票異常火爆,支持大麻合法化的票數(shù)比奧巴馬總統(tǒng)投票數(shù)還多。此次大麻合法化決議的通過,將為大麻在全球市場的買賣帶來深遠影響,也因此引起了各界人士的擔憂。