Marijuana should be legalized

Why is pot illegal? I’m not sure, and it seems a growing number of Americans are joining in my… Why is pot illegal? I’m not sure, and it seems a growing number of Americans are joining in my confusion.

Tuesday, pro-marijuana legislation will be put to vote across the country. San Francisco voters face an initiative that will allow the city to grow and distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes. In Ohio there’s a motion to replace jail time with rehab, and the people of Arizona have gone as far as to request the decriminalization of the drug.

But the biggest pot initiative is, of course, the Nevada “reeferendum.” If Question 9 passes, adults in Nevada will be permitted to possess up to 3 oz. of pot for personal use. Cool, huh? Well you can thank a trio of philanthropist billionaires for the initiative.

John Sperling (he founded the University of Phoenix), Peter Lewis (he used to run Progressive insurance) and George Soros (I’m not sure what he does) decided to put their money together and move to legalize pot. They are the ones bankrolling this support for Question 9. And their money is crucial. It’s them vs. the feds.

The federal government doesn’t want to see Question 9 passed. They are sponsoring an ad campaign against the proposition and Bush even sent John Walters, Office of National Drug Control Policy director, to Nevada to debate the trio. They refused.

Walters responded to a Las Vegas crowd, “These people use ignorance and their overwhelming amount of money to influence the electorate.” He feels marijuana is a gateway drug, causes domestic violence, becomes addictive and carries serious health risks. Most of this is wrong, but I’ll get to that later.

So the battle lines are drawn, and the tension in Nevada is mounting over Question 9. I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, but minus major voter fraud on the part of the federal government, I’m pretty sure it will pass.

According to a recent Time/CNN poll, 34 percent of all Americans are for legalization. Las Vegas already has legalized prostitution – that percent is bound to be far higher. The same poll indicates that 72 percent of people feel pot users should be let off with only a fine.

All signs show Americans are beginning to accept pot smokers, and it’s about time.

America is far behind the rest of the world when it comes to this. Most European Union countries have a “look away” policy when it comes to pot. In England, officials are experimenting with a “seize and warn” policy that carries no other penalty. Spain doesn’t prosecute people for recreational use of any drug and marijuana has been legal in Holland for a while now.

Even Canada, our friendly neighbor to the north, is on the brink of full-out legalization. Actually, they probably would have legalized it years ago if it wasn’t for strong U.S. opposition.

So, do all of these nations simply not know about what Mr. Walters has to say? Do they not know about the evils of marijuana?

Well, as far as the whole gateway drug argument goes, Holland discovered some interesting points. It turns out that marijuana coffee shops in Holland serve to separate pot smokers from the rest of the drug-taking population. The reason marijuana is a gateway drug here is because it’s linked to heavy drug dealers. By separating pot smokers from the rest, Holland has found that heroin use among children has steadily declined. According to an August 20, 2000, Time article, the average age for a heroin addict in Holland is 40.

Walters also said marijuana leads to domestic violence. This is downright misleading. He should have said, “Some drunkards who beat their wives also smoke pot.” It is very rare for domestic violence to arise when marijuana is the only drug present.

The addictive nature of marijuana is another misunderstanding. Walters presents medical studies, which contradict the belief that marijuana is addictive, but a lot can be said from the fact that 75 percent of the pot-smoking patrons in Holland’s cafes use pot once a week.

As for the serious health risks he talks about, most of them are myths or exaggerated propaganda from the war on drugs. John Cloud’s article in the Nov. 4 issue of Time explores the most recent studies on marijuana. He finds them inconclusive.

Pot may or may not make you stupid in the short term. In some ways it causes cancer, in others it fights cancer.

But even if Walters is right about the health risks, it shouldn’t matter. After all, it is my body. If I choose to take a drug that’s harmful to me, that’s my choice to make. The government shouldn’t interfere with how I choose to treat my body. They should inform me of the possible risks, but not restrain me from my freedom of choice.

My only fear about legalization is that after the government starts to tax pot, it will be more expensive than it is now.

Will Minton urges potheads not to get too excited. If Question 9 passes on Tuesday, it won’t become law unless the same initiative passes again in 2004. He can be reached at wminton@pittnews.com.