From: Scott Keen
Columbus
It is time for Indiana to legalize marijuana.
People convicted of marijuana possession are criminals. This is particularly damaging to young people. Almost everybody sampled marijuana in their youth, and, for those who get away with it, it is a subject of jokes, a rite of passage, but people that get arrested don’t find it so funny. They are criminals.
Anyone born since World War II has experience with marijuana and knows the truth about it. Everybody knows marijuana is much safer than alcohol, America’s drug of choice. I’ve consumed both and know the difference. So do others. Alcohol is the common thread connecting tragic traffic accidents, spousal and child abuse, bar room brawls, sexual assaults and violent “celebrations” after sporting events. Alcohol blacks one out and can kill a person. But American life is centered on alcohol. It is prominent in every movie, TV show, social and sporting event. Alcohol is ubiquitous in Indiana. Cities host wine, beer and bourbon festivals. The state promotes its wineries, microbreweries and distilleries. Yet marijuana has none of those effects (no blackouts, no violence, no lethality), but smoke some pot and one can end up in a seriously overcrowded jail.
Pre-employment drug screenings detect marijuana up to 30 days after use, long after effects are gone. Other more dangerous drugs (alcohol included) are out of one’s system in a few days. Ironically, relatively harmless pot is the most likely drug to keep one from getting hired or get one fired. This seriously impacts our labor pool.
Marijuana is medicinally useful and many states have legalized it with minimal negative consequences and big tax benefits. Surrounding states will legalize it and will get lots of Hoosier money (taxes too), and Hoosiers will still consume marijuana. Out-of-state people will be less likely to come here because they can get arrested for the marijuana legally enjoyed in their own states. A real tourism boost!
The illegality of marijuana leads to horrible alternatives like “spice” (aka synthetic marijuana), which is just some industrial chemical sprayed on a plant. It is dangerous, the effects terrible, but it is sold in convenience stores where teenagers get it easily. Also, marijuana is not a “gateway” drug. Kids now start with legal pills from grandma’s medicine cabinet.
We all know people who smoke marijuana. Ever heard of Willie Nelson? Most are good parents, spouses and employees. They work hard, pay taxes, coach sports teams, belong to churches and support charities, but are criminals because they smoke pot.
Criminalization is not what Hoosiers want. Our lawmakers, who supposedly represent us, think they know better and don’t want marijuana legalized. The marijuana industry doesn’t have a big lobby (think political contributions) like the liquor industry, big pharma, gambling or for-profit jails, so our “know better” politicians continue to keep marijuana illegal, while legalizing and promoting booze and gambling.
Indiana needs to do the right thing and legalize this relatively harmless material. The pointless punishments in this case are significantly worse that the “crime.”
