Pubdate: Tue, 01 Nov 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
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Page: 6B

THE LATEST DOPE

THERE was an interesting story in the paper Sunday; actually several,
as is the norm. (A salute to the desks that put together that biggest
paper of the week.) This article, however, had to do with pot on the
ballot.

You've surely heard that Arkansas voters will see a couple of ballot
questions having to do with medical marijuana next week. One of them
might even have its votes counted. (The Supreme Court has ruled
against the other, but your ballots have already been printed.)

This story, though, was a national story by the Associated Press.
Because there are a handful of other states around the nation that
will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana next week.

It'll come as no surprise that there are arguments in those states
about who should be able to grow the weed, who should be able to sell
it, how it's going to be labeled. There is even talk about the
marijuana "business model," and whether this government or that outfit
should be able to hold a monopoly on selling dope. My, how times have
changed.

But the most interesting part was this, plugged in the story almost
casually, as if it were only a fact, and not much of a controversial
thing:

"Recreational legalization is on the ballot in five states this
November, and all five currently allow some form of medical marijuana
already . . . . "

Just as most of us suspected. Medical marijuana is only the first
step. The next step is recreational marijuana. And everybody who's
pushing either, and we mean pushing, will admit as much if they're
honest. And some of them are.

Reason No. 48 why Arkansas should reject medical marijuana next week.
If marijuana is a gateway drug, then medical marijuana is a gateway
law. And soon, in only a matter of years, we'll have another, much
larger, fight on our hands. See Arizona, California, Nevada,
Massachusetts . . . .
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MAP posted-by: Matt