Pubdate: Fri, 16 Nov 2012
Source: Niagara Gazette (NY)
Copyright: 2012 Niagara Gazette
Contact:  http://www.niagara-gazette.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4174
Note: Daily Gazette, Schenectady editorial

WAR ON DRUGS TAKES TOLL

In a July 2011 editorial, we called the war on drugs a failure, and 
said it was time to talk about legalization, especially of marijuana. 
Back then, this seemed like a radical idea.

But just a year later, voters in two states, Colorado and Washington, 
have gone beyond talk, approving ballot measures to legalize pot in 
Tuesday's election. Rather than crack down, as it has in states such 
as California and Montana that have legalized medical use of 
marijuana, the U. S. government should stay away, treating this as an 
experiment to see whether legalization works in the ways its 
proponents say it will.

One of those ways is to stop the arrests of thousands of small-scale 
users ( the measures will remove criminal penalties for those over 21 
who possess less than an ounce of the drug). In New York, Gov. Andrew 
Cuomo recently proposed the same thing, but the Senate refused to go 
along. Although they've now been eased somewhat, the draconian 
Rockefeller drug laws put many small-scale dealers and users, 
especially minorities, in prison for long periods.

All over the country, police departments, courts and prisons have 
been overburdened with the aggressive enforcement of drug laws. But 
the punitive approach hasn't worked because the demand remains - and 
where there is demand, there is supply, from the violent drug cartels 
of Latin America to the gangs in American cities.

But saving money on law enforcement, and freeing police departments 
to focus on larger crimes, aren't the only benefits that will come 
from legalizing marijuana. By regulating it, much as they now 
regulate alcohol and tobacco, the states can ensure safety and 
quality, while bringing in many millions of dollars for their coffers.

Yes, there is a danger that teenagers will use marijuana if it is 
legal, but it's not as if they can't get it, or don't use it, now. 
And alcohol is probably a bigger danger.

The people of Colorado and Washington have expressed their will, and, 
clearly, public attitudes about marijuana are changing. It would be a 
mistake for the feds to now come in heavy-handedly and act as if 
nothing had happened.

The Justice Department has already lost the drug war. Don't compound 
the problem by losing the public opinion war.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom