Pubdate: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL) Copyright: 2009 The Palm Beach Post Contact: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333 Author: Joel Engelhardt Note: Joel Engelhardt is an editorial writer for The Palm Beach Post. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) AN ECONOMY GONE TO POT In Florida, Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson's generation is known for golf course communities, early-bird specials and impossibly strict homeowners association rules. After winning World War II and leading the postwar boom, America's Greatest Generation flocked to South Florida for sand, sea and sun. Smoking pot by the shuffleboard courts never entered the picture. That's why it's surprising that Commissioner Aaronson has taken a public stand in favor of legalizing marijuana. Commissioner Jeff Koons -- whose sister, Deborah, married the late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia -- maybe. But the 81-year-old Aaronson? In fact, coming from the parental side of the '60s Generation Gap, Commissioner Aaronson is suited to the role of pied (water) piper. No one ever won a bet accusing Burt Aaronson of inhaling. In the age of easily accessible medical marijuana and decriminalization, Commissioner Aaronson made his case on the basis of cold, hard cash. Palm Beach County, he said, pays too much to lock up nonviolent offenders. His cost-cutting is driven by the realization that even if the county had the money for its $267 million jail expansion, it wouldn't have the money to guard all those extra inmates. The commissioner long has urged the courts to assign more inmates to house arrest, saving millions in jail costs. From there, it's not too far-out to suggest decriminalization. Forget about pot as a gateway drug or health hazard. Think of its street value in fewer arrests, fewer trials and fewer lockups. Commissioner Aaronson's thinking, however, is small-minded. There's a changing of the guard in America. Now the generation of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll is retiring. Palm Beach County's Leisureville is no longer the first choice of Yuppies and ex-Yippies. If Commissioner Aaronson wants to assure a spot for himself in county lore, the commissioner known for ruling the condo commandos has to take a much bigger hit off the bong. Already, Florida is losing Baby Boomers to more rugged locales, such as North Carolina. But if gated communities were to plow under browning golf courses to turn plush greens into lush buds, it would give a whole new meaning to the name Sunny Acres. Forget Century Village. If we go with Burt "The Dude" Aaronson, we'd have Sinsemilla City. Baby Boomers would be hitting the restaurants for the early bird and staying on through the night. Homeowners association rules would move from regulating the size of pets to establishing penalties for bogarting joints. Instead of calling the county "The Best of Everything," tourism officials could roll out a new slogan: "Palm Beach County: A Great Joint." If cultivation comes out of the closet, owners of the county's vast agricultural lands, with the rich soil and hot climate, could cash in. Disputes over development of the 700,000-acre Everglades Agricultural Area, now mostly sugar cane fields, would take on a psychadelic hue. Why stop with existing farmland? Hemp farmers could convert abandoned subdivisions back to the land. The move could be transcendental when it comes to transforming the South Florida of Commissioner Aaronson's generation to the South Florida of the Baby Boomers. And Commissioner Aaronson is particularly well-situated to bring it all about. Next week, he takes over as county commission chairman. In that role, when he talks about legalizing marijuana, he won't just be blowing smoke. Who would have thought that, after all these years, the '60s Generation Gap finally would be bridged by an octogenarian commissioner intent on saving money? It's a blending of the capitalism of the World War II generation with the lifestyle of the '60s counterculture. Commissioner Aaronson's peace offering to the peaceniks could alter the consciousness of Palm Beach County. Joel Engelhardt is an editorial writer for The Palm Beach Post. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D