Pubdate: Thu, 11 Mar 2010
Source: Burlington Times-News (NC)
Copyright: 2010 Freedom Communications, Inc.
Contact: http://www.thetimesnews.com/sections/contactus/letter.php
Website: http://www.thetimesnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1822
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Willie+Nelson (Willie Nelson)

STATE NEEDS TO REACH CONSENSUS ON MARIJUANA

Who knew that when North Carolina and Duplin County authorities cited 
members of country music legend Willie Nelson's band on marijuana and 
alcohol charges in January that it would turn into an uproar that 
began in Eastern North Carolina and has swept the state.

Heck, there's even a song about it that's getting some notice in Tennessee.

The matter has divided the rural farming community where Nelson was 
schedule to play. Some think that agents from the state Division of 
Alcohol Law Enforcement were just doing their jobs on Jan. 28, when 
they searched the band's bus outside the Duplin County Events Center 
in Kenansville, adding that the band members are not above the law.

Others contend the agents - working under the name "Operation On the 
Road Again," which is a note to a famous Nelson song - were there to 
sniff out a crime and took unnecessary steps to make life 
uncomfortable for a famous guest in the community.  Longtime State 
Sen. Charlie Albertson, a Duplin County Democrat and musician from 
Beulaville, recorded a song decrying the charges. "Leave the man 
alone," Albertson pleads in his song.

Opinions are strong. With this in mind, it might be wise for North 
Carolina policy makers to use the "Willie Nelson Incident" - as we'll 
call it - as a springboard for a review of the state's attitude 
toward drug enforcement.

Research tends to show that, scientifically speaking, marijuana is 
safer than alcohol. For example, one study shows that alcohol has a 
stronger effect on brain development in teenagers than marijuana. 
Another shows that marijuana is less addictive than alcohol or nicotine.

A move to legalize its use would also free up a lot if resources in 
our criminal justice system. That would include court time and 
related expenses along with the untold hours that police and 
probation officers spend dealing with the issue.

We're talking about decriminalizing the use of marijuana, not its 
abuse. People who get high smoking a joint and then get behind the 
wheel of a car should continue to be prosecuted for DWI. Freedom and 
responsibility go hand in hand.

Then there is the issue of medical marijuana, which has a number of 
beneficial uses. Those include helping overcome nausea, stimulating 
appetite and treating glaucoma.

Legalizing marijuana could also have another positive effect. A lot 
of drug dealers would have to get off the street corner and get a 
real job. If those who would light up a joint can get it legally in 
stores, why would they want to buy it from illegal dealers?

The issue is an emotional one, as demonstrated by the reaction to 
"Willie Nelson Incident." But it's a matter  that deserves study and debate.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake