Pubdate: Wed, 06 Oct 2004
Source: Daily Iowan, The (IA Edu)
Copyright: 2004 The Daily Iowan
Contact:  http://www.dailyiowan.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/937
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

POT PROHIBITION EQUALS BLOWING SMOKE

Before getting all hyped up about the big "M" word - yes, marijuana - rest 
assured this is not a case radically calling for its complete legalization. 
Far from it.

However, the contention that use of marijuana in limited amounts, without 
the intention to resell, should not be immediately punished with arrest is 
a viable one. It's far more sensible to sanction such an act with a simple 
citation than to treat it as a crime for which the offender can be 
incarcerated, as is the case in much of the United States.

This is exactly what the Chicago police Sgt. Tom Donegan was trying to 
communicate when he proposed this policy. Moreover, Mayor Richard M. Daley 
has endorsed it in the interest of saving the courts from petty (but 
costly) cases that tend to be thrown out by judges anyway.

Beyond this, there are numerous reasons to support the reform, not just in 
Chicago but on a national level. One concerns where society places its 
priorities in fighting crime. Given the choice between spending valuable 
resources to apprehend murderers and sexual predators versus jailing 
nonviolent pot users, the choice is a no-brainer. Handcuffing people caught 
smoking joints and sending them to the county jail is hardly rational when 
many such places already face severe problems with overcrowding (think 
Johnson County, Iowa).

There is no doubt whether the use of marijuana is injurious to health and 
should be penalized in some form. Its surreptitious and illicit 
distribution is even more problematic. However, we should keep in mind that 
policies concerning pot use are similar to what once existed for alcohol 
use - specifically, the failed attempt to stop consumption of alcohol 
through Prohibition. The complete ban on booze led to the development of a 
black market in which gangsters often had the upper hand and the 
environment was a smog of crime and violence. The current situation seems 
to be a terrifying dejr' vu when considering the marijuana market, which 
looms as a dark and controversial issue in our society. Needless to say, 
the prohibition policy is collapsing once again right in front of our eyes. 
Strict laws and sentencing procedures do not necessarily mean less pot use 
and distribution.

Government surveys show that nearly 100 million Americans have now used 
marijuana, an all-time record, and marijuana use by teenagers remains near 
record levels. The National Research Council looked at this data and 
concluded that stricter laws and tougher punishments have minimal effect on 
marijuana use. Furthermore, the Marijuana Policy Project argues that states 
should go even further, decriminalizing marijuana use and possession 
entirely, because no solid proof has been produced thus far showing a 
causal relationship between tough laws and lower marijuana use.

Rather than employing extreme methods, as was once done with alcohol, it 
makes more sense to put into effect a system of regulation in which 
marijuana possession and use is a less-serious offense and can be 
controlled not through stiff jail time but through a simple fine. This will 
save time, money, and much-needed jail space. Smoking pot is not a violent 
crime; it shouldn't be treated as such. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake