Pubdate: Fri, 04 Nov 2005
Source: State Press, The (AZ Edu)
Copyright: 2005 ASU Web Devil
Contact:  http://www.asuwebdevil.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3961
Author: Astrid Galvan
Note: Astrid Galvan is a journalism junior.
Cited: SAFER (www.saferchoice.org)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: 
http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Safer+Alternative+for+Enjoyable+Recreation

TRADE ALCOHOL FOR MELLOW POTHEADS, OR NOT

If you are counting down the days until your 21st birthday, dying to
burn your fake ID, someone who enjoys smoking marijuana and you just
happen to live in Denver, Colo., Tuesday was a pretty good day for
you.

For the rest of us who don't quite meet that criterion, whose phones
are counting down the days for us and whose state is far too
Republican to do anything relatively radical, it's simply a day to
learn something new.

A little east of us is a city in which 54 percent of voters approved a
ballot to legalize marijuana use for adults over the age of 21.

According to The Associated Press, the ballot would allow residents to
carry with them up to an ounce of marijuana legally.

Mason Tvert, organizer of the Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable
Recreation campaign, claims that the legalization of marijuana would
decrease the number of alcohol-related accidents, and street and
domestic crime. This is, in part, because marijuana (whose effects
include mellower attitudes) is an alternative to alcohol
consumption.

But people opposing the ordinance worry that this statement is just a
myth. Their main argument against the legalization of marijuana is
that its use leads to other substance abuse.

How cliche, I know. However, it is true that people who smoke pot are
85 times more likely to try other drugs, according to the American
Council for Drug Education.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association claims that
marijuana is a "gateway" drug, and they also claim that alcohol is the
gateway drug that leads to marijuana. So why not ban alcohol, too? If
anyone ever tried to ban alcohol again (ode to the days of
Prohibition) they would probably be hung in public.

Although many people are outraged at the voters' decision, the new law
may not make much of a difference. State laws that make the possession
of marijuana (even one ounce) illegal are most likely going to be
strictly enforced, overruling the new city ordinance, also known as
Initiative 100. And even if the state laws will not be enforced with
Initiative 100, it would still be illegal to smoke marijuana in public.

Also, this new controversial privilege is only for those who are 21
and over. If this is truly the correct age to make an educated
decision about consuming alcohol, it should also be the correct age to
decide whether or not to smoke marijuana.

And let's face it, people will smoke it regardless of whether it's
legal or not. That's their choice.

Still, I can't help but question Tvert's statement - how will legal
marijuana use reduce alcohol use? The 23-year-old believes that, by
legalizing it, more people will make the smart choice of putting the
bottle down and picking the pipe (or joint) up.

That's an erroneous argument. If you truly believe that the
legalization of marijuana will benefit the public, there are many
arguments you could use to make a strong point. Claiming that it
reduces alcohol consumption isn't one of them.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake