Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2013
Source: Jackson County Chronicle (Black River Falls, WI)
Copyright: 2013 The Jackson County Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.jacksoncountychronicle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4827
Author: John Hempstead

DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA MAKES SENSE

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" - an unalienable right
sought in the Declaration of Independence - is more restricted in the
U.S. than in most other countries.

Life is sacrificed through the death penalty at a higher rate in the
U.S. than in any western democracy. Only China and five undeveloped
countries exceed the U.S. in taking lives.

Liberty is more restricted for Americans. The U.S. has the highest
prison population rate in the world. Much U.S. incarceration involves
prisoners serving long mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug crimes.

Pursuit of happiness through use of unapproved drugs is illegal in the
U.S. However, the "war on drugs" is not working. All it is doing is
filling our prisons. Prison is where people learn to be more effective
criminals. Most prisons offer limited opportunity for rehabilitation.
Prisons sentence citizens to high taxes to pay for prison expenses.

A sensible solution would be to decriminalize marijuana, making it and
other drugs available through legal channels with medical oversight.
Supervised legal channels for access would provide a workable
alternative to illegal drug smuggling, which would wither on the vine
as demand for drugs is reduced.

Obviously it will not be easy to change attitudes toward "life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in the U.S. Likewise it will not
be easy to change the drug culture in the U.S.

For now the bottom line is save taxes, reduce the prison population
and eliminate mandatory sentences for nonviolent crimes.

John Hempstead

La Crosse
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt