May 5, 2014 7:18 AM

This aggression will not stand, man

Dozens of people took to the streets Saturday afternoon, rallying to change Texas drug laws. The group known as NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) held rallies across the country urging states to legalize marijuana. Protestors say it will help free up space in jails for more serious crimes and save taxpayers money. “I personally think it should be legalized just as it has been in Colorado we’ve actually seen a crime rate decrease in Colorado,” stated Jax Finkel of Texas NORML The group marched from [Austin] City Hall to the State Capitol hoping legislators will hear the message.

One of the things I truly struggle to wrap my head around is the theory behind our drug laws, particularly when it comes to marijuana. It’s a simple question (to me, at least): How many people have died from cirrhosis of the liver…and how many from marijuana? When you tally up the damage done to individuals and families by alcohol addiction and compare them to marijuana add…wait, I almost got lost in the propaganda: marijuana isn’t addictive. A drunk person may become obnoxious, belligerent, and in some cases physically dangerous. Someone high on marijuana may…overdose on Doritos.

For reasons I’ve yet to understand- and anyone has yet to explain- alcohol is socially acceptable while too many states still consider marijuana to be Of. The. Devil. People and policymakers in those states have no problem with someone going out and tying one on…but Lord help the person who takes a few hitss off a joint. An adult in possession of a case of Southern Comfort is considered a party animal, while someone in possession of a couple joints could literally go to jail for years. I can think of no benefit that accrues to society when we lock up a marijuana user. Sure, we’ll get the “marijuana’s a gateway drug” argument, but that’s been debunked more times that I care to remember. It’s simply not true.

The reality is that politicians can’t see their way clear to passing common sense drug laws that don’t incarcerate someone whose only crime is taking a few tokes off a joint. It’s about not giving their political adversaries ammunition that can be used to lob the “soft on drugs” charge at them, which in most states is still a political liability. Better to err on the side of locking up nonviolent criminals “guilty” of committing a victimless crime. I’m not certain what threat a marijuana user poses to society, but I’m willing to listen if someone cares to take a shot at edumicating me.

Isn’t it about time we lost the “Reefer Madness” mentality and dealt with marijuana based on facts and truth? Or do we really want to spend our tax dollars locking up people who pose no discernible threat to public safety? Especially when you consider that alcohol abuse has done far more damage than marijuana use.

Then again, it’s not often that you’ll hear “common sense” and “drug laws” used in the same sentence.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on May 5, 2014 7:18 AM.

Today's sign that the Apocalypse is upon us was the previous entry in this blog.

Some look at things and say "Why not?" I look at things and say "WTF???" is the next entry in this blog.

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