Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2016
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
Copyright: 2016 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/25
Note: Accepts letters to the editor from Arkansas residents only

YES, PLEASE, BEAT COLORADO

At Something More Important Than Football

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick 
themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." - Winston Churchill

GOODNESS, how many proposals about marijuana could be on the ballot 
come November? Talk about poor choices in an election. What is it 
about 2016? If the presidential election might require many of us to 
hold our noses when we vote, if any more marijuana proposals get on 
the ballot in Arkansas, somebody might have to hand out gas masks at 
the polls. If for nothing else than to avoid contact highs.

Even the proponents of new and more liberal marijuana laws are 
bellyaching about the different proposals and how having multiple 
issues on the ballot might confuse things.

Could there be three proposed changes concerning Arkansas' marijuana 
laws coming in the fall? And which is which? We understand there's 
one proposal to legalize all use of pot in the state. And then there 
are a couple of efforts that would legalize pot, sorta. That is, make 
it legal to use marijuana for medical purposes-for now. One outfit is 
pushing, and we mean pushing, a initiated act, another group a 
constitutional amendment. As if what this state's creaking 
constitution needed was another amendment that made pot smoking a 
full-blown, or fully inhaled, right.

As canvassers for the medical marijuana outfits make their way around 
the state, it's not likely they'll mention some inconvenient facts. 
So let us. For example: 1. In other states, complete legalization of 
marijuana was often proceeded by medical marijuana laws. 2. Those who 
need the ingredients in marijuana to ease pain can get the stuff from 
a pharmacist in pill form. 3. Some studies in other states have shown 
that kids get into Aunt Sally's stash on too frequent occasions. And 
that can lead to other problems. They don't call maryjane a gateway 
drug for nothing.

Generally, we'd rather see the more honest approach. For example, the 
group pushing the legalization of all pot, not just the medical 
variety. As wrongheaded as they are, at least they're up front about 
it all. There's something to be said, a lot to be said, about candor.

Take Robert Reed, a backer of the constitutional amendment that would 
legalize the cultivation, sale, possession, use of marijuana, among 
other counterproductive things:

"We're definitely getting the word out," he told the press the other 
day. "It is a time crunch" to gather signatures, "but if the people 
want the farmers to plant it and our factories to get back into 
business and to quit importing this product from China, then it'll 
happen and we can beat Colorado when it comes to the 
industrial-medical part of it here in Arkansas."

Who knew that dope could open factories? Maybe his vision of 
marijuana's abilities differs from ours. But on one thing we agree: 
Let's beat Colorado. For many of us, that means not legalizing 
marijuana-in any form. If they want to hide it up in Telluride, as 
the song says, so be it. Arkansas can do better. And should.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom