Pubdate: Tue, 13 Mar 2012
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Copyright: 2012 Journal Sentinel Inc.
Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/general/30627794.html
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265
Author: Daniel Slapczynski

TIME TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

True story:

Many decades ago, my Grandpa Mike was pulled over for speeding. He was
guilty, to be sure, but he still pleaded his case. After all, he
wasn't the fastest driver going past the speed trap. In fact, he
trailed well behind the pack. Compared to the other drivers, his
offense was minuscule, and he said so.

"I agree, they were driving faster," said the officer, "which means I
knew you'd be the easiest to stop."

Grandpa got the ticket.

The anecdote has become family lore because it's funny, not because of
any great moral to be learned from it. All the same, it serves as a
good parable for Wisconsin's archaic drug laws. While there are bigger
fish to fry - education, poverty, unemployment - our society insists
on spending precious resources on the easy target: the growing, sale
and use of marijuana.

(I know you're rolling your eyes. Whenever I plead this case, I'm
dismissed as a stoner. I'm not. Feel free to test me, and whether the
sample is processed right away or sits around for a weekend because
FedEx was closed, the result will still be in my favor.)

In recent months, there have been several stories about marijuana
arrests. There was the alleged marijuana ring at a school in Antigo, a
large seizure of the drug in Lannon and, most recently, a trio was
accused of selling massive amounts of the drug from a Milwaukee condo.

Stories from 2011 featured a rabid crackdown on "synthetic marijuana"
sold at gas stations. In 2010, you could have read about a $400,000
bust in Sheboygan County and a million-dollar bail set in a Racine
area crackdown.

I can't feign outrage over the crimes. This isn't crack we're talking
about or meth or heroin. It isn't the legally sanctioned, highly
addictive tobacco that claims the lives of 8,000 Wisconsinites a year.
It's not the alcohol that is so lovingly embraced by our culture yet
produces a drunken driving death every 39 minutes.

This is marijuana, a drug with legitimate medical benefits. A drug
with no addictive properties. A drug that doesn't promote violence. A
drug a good portion of Americans have tried in their lifetimes. A drug
casually referenced across the spectrum of our pop culture. A drug
whose greatest flaw is the alleged tendency toward sloth and falling
short of your potential, something I easily accomplished without its
use.

I can't find justification for spending law enforcement, legal and
correctional facility resources on a silly - yes, silly - prohibition.
The elimination of these burdens, combined with the influx of income
tax revenue once growers are legitimized, is a hard economic boon to
ignore. If it is a moral objection that bothers you (though I see no
such conflict) spend the "sin tax" monies on rehab or prevention
programs for "hard drugs."

It's time for Wisconsin, and the nation, to take a stand and legalize
marijuana. Anything else is proof that our resources are allocated
according to convenience, not necessity.

Daniel Slapczynski is a Milwaukee native and the father of four.
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MAP posted-by: Matt