Pubdate: Tue, 20 May 2014
Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY)
Copyright: 2014 Tom Gagnon
Contact:  http://www.trib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765
Author: Tom Gagnon

WYOMING MARIJUANA ABSURDITY

There are three particularly absurd things about Wyoming's fight
against marijuana:

First: Wyoming is a state that proudly exports lots of air polluting
fossil fuels, and uranium too, and we consider marijuana a "dangerous
substance." Should the same standards be applied to all things, we
wouldn't have anything to export.

Second: Regarding Wyoming's relative position in the greater War on
Drugs, we're about in the middle of the country. Consider the
frequent newspaper accounts of cars being pulled over along
Interstate-80. Let's say that the car has Ohio plates and is
speeding. Officer Trap pulls it over and also searches the car and
finds marijuana. The driver intended to buy pot in California and
resell it in Ohio. California gets a small economic stimulus, Ohio
gets nothing and Wyoming gets a big bill for law enforcement and the
incarceration of someone who just wants to drive eastward and be done
with us. In this case as outlined, Officer Trap should certainly
write a speeding ticket, but then let the driver go with his cargo to
become the problem (i.e., the expense) of some other state. I mean,
what do we gain here in Wyoming? Nothing. We get a reputation for
petty bullying. We're hurting ourselves to punish someone else. This
is absurd. Couldn't we just send Ohio an e-postcard? I mean, there
was the crime-of-a-purchase in California, and a hoped for
crime-of-a-sale in Ohio, and we get stuck in the middle and with the bill!

Third: The final absurd point is that anyone in Wyoming can take a
short drive to Colorado and legally buy marijuana. This enriches that
state and helps them to develop a hip and smart reputation (as well
as one that is closer to the spirit of the Constitution), versus our
reputation for bullying, pettiness and injustice.

To recapture my three points about our absurdity, we export far more
dangerous things, we're paying for crimes in other states, and we
can't do a damn thing about that Rocky Mountain High.

TOM GAGNON, Rock Springs 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D