Many, many kudos to The Baltimore Sun for its front-page article on Maryland's failure to people with some disabilities and those who suffer in extreme pain due to inexplicable roadblocks to authorize medical marijuana ("Medical marijuana still beyond reach in Maryland," Jan. 28). We hear many excuses spun as "reasons." Yes, it's still banned by the federal government, but 20 states and the District of Columbia have chosen to help people instead. Two states have even legalized marijuana for recreational use. [continues 256 words]
The article in the Jan. 19th Star about the Maryland State Police, "MSP Quits Local Drug Task Forces" is an important story. There is a story behind the story. Significant movement to end our second failed prohibition is occurring. Leading in this long overdue reform is Law Enforcement Against Prohibition which is an international organization of law enforcement officers. Its executive director is Major Neill Franklin (retired) of the Maryland State Police. Alcohol prohibition created significant criminal enterprises. Our second prohibition of marijuana also supported the creation of criminal enterprises and led to a swollen national prison population which went from half a million to over two million. Many of these people are serving extended sentences for minor possession violations. They are vastly overrepresented by our black and brown citizens. [continues 124 words]
To the Editor: Democrats are smart embracing cannabis (marijuana) since every poll indicates the majority of voters want to end cannabis prohibition and regulate the plant ("Some Maryland Democrats hope to legalize, tax pot," Jan. 20 Times-News, Page 1A). Another reason to re-legalize cannabis that doesn't get mentioned is because it is Biblically correct since God created all the seed-bearing plants saying they're all good on literally the very first page of the Bible ("And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good," Genesis 1:12, KJV). A sane or moral argument to continue punishing and caging humans for using cannabis simply doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Despite New Law, Nothing Has Been Done to Give Access Barry Considine still has to buy marijuana illegally, as he has since he first asked around a biker bar for it to help treat his post-polio syndrome. Ken Kopper still fears another possession arrest for using it to ease chronic pain resulting from a couple of car accidents. And Gail Rand still can only watch from afar as a boy in Colorado who has the same form of epilepsy as her 4-year-old son has become seizure-free after regularly ingesting an oil derived from marijuana. [continues 2041 words]
As a retired detective, I support moving simple possession of marijuana down to a parking ticket-level offense ("Zirkin, Kittleman propose decriminalizing marijuana Jan. 21). My active-duty colleagues will have more time for pedophiles, the deadly drunk driver and other public safety threats. Most police officers did not sign on for the job to chase a green plant. Howard J. Wooldridge, Adamstown *End* [end]
Poll: 51 Percent of State Residents Support Idea ANNAPOLIS -- Some Democratic lawmakers want to make it legal for Maryland residents to possess, use and grow marijuana, which would be regulated and taxed like alcohol, they announced last week. Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, and Del. Curt Anderson, D-Baltimore, said their proposed Marijuana Control Act of 2014 would take power out of the hands of drug dealers and channel revenue into public causes like school construction projects and drug and alcohol treatment programs. [continues 532 words]
A bipartisan pair of state senators plans to introduce a proposal today to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. "We're not trying to encourage people to smoke pot," said Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Baltimore County Democrat who is leading the effort. "I don't think that having a joint should be a jail-able offense. I don't think that's the definition of a crime." Under the bill, it would no longer be a crime to have less than 10 grams of marijuana. Instead, the proposal calls for making possession a civil offense that could result in a ticket for adults and drug treatment for minors. The measure cleared the Senate last year but didn't get a vote in the House of Delegates. [continues 142 words]
Bravo to Mike Gimbel for his recent letter against legalizing marijuana in Maryland ("Say no to legalized pot," Jan. 11). I have worked in the health care and social services field for the past 14 years, and he is spot on. Many adults who smoke pot started as teens or younger, and the pot wreaks havoc on their developmental stages and mind/ body changes through their teens and into their 20s. Pot smoking accounts for their lack of initiative, lethargy and in some, progression to other drugs or alcohol. Yet many "experts" cite research studies that pot smoking is harmless or less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes. [continues 110 words]
Advocates Say Regulating, Taxing Sales Would Bring About $150 Million to State Advocates of legalizing marijuana launched their effort Thursday to change the law in Maryland, calling the war on drugs a failure and pointing to growing public support for their cause. A handful of Maryland lawmakers hope to push the state in the direction of Colorado, where recreational use of pot is regulated and taxed like alcohol. Advocates say that would generate about $150 million in tax dollars for Maryland each year. [continues 657 words]
Bill Would Regulate And Tax Sale Of The Drug Advocates of legalizing marijuana launched their effort Thursday to change the law in Maryland, calling the war on drugs a failure and pointing to growing public support for their cause. A handful of Maryland lawmakers hope to push the state in the direction of Colorado, where recreational use of pot is regulated and taxed like alcohol. Advocates say that would generate about $150 million in tax dollars for Maryland each year. Supporters compared the changing public attitude toward legalizing marijuana to the more recent embrace of same-sex marriage and the rejection of Prohibition policies more than 80 years ago. [continues 655 words]
I see the usual crowd down in Annapolis is waxing hyperbolic about the socalled "synthetic marijuana" being sold in Maryland and offering the usual array of non-solutions ("Baltimore County officials seek tighter ban on synthetic marijuana," Jan. 13). But here's a thought: If the politicians really want to stop people from buying these unknown and dangerous chemicals, how about just following Colorado's lead and legalizing real marijuana instead of passing overly broad laws that don't really do anything? [continues 73 words]
Regrading Mike Gimbel's recent letter ("Say no to legalized pot," Jan. 12), the issue is not whether cannabis is completely safe for everybody but rather freedom of choice for adults. One in 13 children suffer from food allergies, yet we have not criminalized food. Children have died from eating peanuts, but we don't cage peanut growers, sellers or consumers. The voters of Colorado and Washington state have decided we should not cage cannabis growers, sellers or consumers. I submit that the rest of the nation should follow their example. Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
If Gov. Martin O'Malley is so tough on crime, he should end the prohibition on cannabis (marijuana) today ("Mike Miller, marijuana and the right side of history," Jan. 9), Cannabis prohibition produces underground markets, cartels, increased hard-drug addiction rates, and contempt for drug laws. It also leads to eroded constitutional rights, loss of freedom, escalating prison populations, corrupt politicians, racial discrimination and trillions of dollars in wasted taxes, all of which are crimes. And make no mistake: Caging humans for using what God says is good on the first page of the Bible is also a crime. Stan White, Dillon, Colo. [end]
Maryland is a state with a serious marijuana arrest problem, according to the FBI's 2011 annual Uniform Crime Report. With 22,043 arrests for marijuana possession producing an arrest rate of 378 people per 100,000, Maryland ranked among the top five in marijuana possession arrests, according to the most recent data available. "I have no idea why these numbers are so high," said state Sen. Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore County Democrat who is an advocate for marijuana decriminalization in Maryland. "The numbers are shocking and staggering." [continues 505 words]
I am not in support of the legalization of marijuana. I, like others, spent too much of my youth spaced out on pot. It was addictive, and it severely handicapped me in respect to my career, work and interpersonal relationships. Did I love being stoned as a youth? Yes, and too much. That's part of the problem. It's too good and it is addictive to many people such as myself. We have to stop pretending that getting stoned doesn't impair your ability to function. Try responding to any emergency stoned, and you will screw up. Go to your next job interview high, and you will fail. Would you like a stoned babysitter taking care of your kids? How about a stoned surgeon operating on you? If you think I'm overreacting, just remember the Amtrak train wreck in Chase in which engineer Ricky Gates was high on pot and forgot to throw a switch, causing dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. It does, it can and it will happen again. [continues 117 words]
Gov. Martin O'Malley confused drug use with drug addiction when he was confronted recently with the issue of marijuana legalization ("O'Malley opposed to legalizing pot, Jan. 8). In opposing legislation, he said he's "seen what drug addiction has done to the people of our state, to the people of our city." We know he has federal political ambitions and his open-ended answer proves that. One can use a drug and not be addicted to it. Mr. O'Malley doesn't seem to realize that millions of Americans use marijuana already. What he really doesn't understand is that marijuana's illegality has contributed more harmful effects to society than marijuana's legalization ever could. Legalizing marijuana will stop the injustice of ruining our citizens' lives for simple possession of marijuana, a substance substantially safer than alcohol. [continues 100 words]
Veteran Senate President Could Show His Chops by Pushing for Legalization Turns out, I am glad that Thomas V. Mike Miller gives no hint of retiring from his position as president forever of the Maryland Senate. I know that sounds odd coming from me, but that's how I feel. And I don't even smoke pot. Miller is 71, and he's been in the legislature since '71. He's been president of the Senate so long no one can even remember the man he replaced in that position. (A hint: It was Mickey Steinberg.) [continues 754 words]
I strongly disagree with Ruth Marcus' column, "The perils of legalized pot." It's ridiculous using children as an excuse to cage responsible adults who use the relatively safe God-given plant cannabis (marijuana). Will Marcus be lobbying to cage responsible wine and beer drinkers next? Further, claiming, "society will not be better off," legalizing cannabis is silly. Cannabis prohibition is responsible for increased hard drug addiction rates, contempt for drug laws, eroded constitutional rights, escalated prison populations, corrupt politicians, race discrimination, prohibiting free American farmers from growing hemp (even though communist Chinese farmers grow it), costs trillions of dollars and the list is growing faster than the plant itself. The sooner America ends cannabis prohibition, the sooner the sky will stop falling in. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Inside Maryland
