Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jan 2014
Source: George-Anne, The (Georgia Southern U, GA Edu)
Copyright: 2014 The George-Anne
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/5484
Author: Elijah Anderson
Note: Anderson is a senior political science major from Cumming. He 
is currently writing a thesis about U.S. interventions.

POT'S HAZY FUTURE IN GEORGIA

It's Friday night in the 'Boro. You and your friends are looking to
cut loose after a hectic first week of class. Before the debauchery
commences you must procure the necessary supplies. Thus, you begin
your journey to, where else, but the Fast and Easy. On this day,
however, you're not simply venturing out for a six-pack. No, on this
Friday eve you're on your way to purchase a gram or two of marijuana,
and there's nothing the cops can do about it.

As unrealistic as the above scenario sounds in Georgia, this was the
hazy reality that our fellow countrymen in Colorado arose to on Jan.
1. Last year, in defiance of the federal law prohibiting the
possession of marijuana, Colorado and Washington voted to legalize the
recreational use of that sticky icky for adults over the age of 21. As
an eerie fog settled over the Rockies, many Americans were left
asking, "Is recreational pot use the new norm?"

Current polls certainly indicate that Americans are finally warming up
to Mary Jane. A recent Gallup poll reported that for the first time
ever a majority of Americans support the legalization of the drug.
Gallup also reported that 67 percent of Americans between the ages of
18 and 29 supported recreational use. If one was to treat these polls
as a crystal ball of sorts, the future of our nation's drugs laws seem
to be fading as fast as a Dorito-binging stoner.

But what about in the South? Or Georgia for that matter? I hear many
college peers claiming that Georgia will never legalize pot like the
"dope-smoking hippies out West." Such a view is understandable. The
stalwart South has always lagged behind on issues that in hindsight
were no-brainers. Blame it on our "traditional values." Not to equate
the two issues, but I would like to remind the naysayers of former
Alabama governor George Wallace's 1963 inaugural address, "Segregation
now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." As Wallace and many
others in the South learned, nothing is forever.

In fact, we Georgians may have a vote on the matter sooner rather than
later. Two Georgia state senators have recently expressed interest in
debating the legalization of medical marijuana during the 2014
session. Whether or not the roots of this issue will be planted this
session, the unavoidable realization is that a fire has begun.

As more and more citizens become pro-legalization the inevitable clash
between federal and state law becomes more urgent. The War on Drugs
has only succeeded in bestowing us the honor of the world's most
incarcerated nation. Eventually something's got to give, and it's our
generation that will decide exactly what that will be. 
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