LET'S RECONSIDER MARIJUANA LAWS

During the last two decades there has been much discussion of the evils and
the benefits of marijuana. Any analysis of marijuana should begin with a
look at its impact on our legal and economic systems.

FBI records show that in 2002 there were about 700,000 marijuana-related
arrests. The arrest figure in 1992 was 340,000. Clearly more and more of
our police time and dollars, jail space and dollars, and court resources
and dollars are being used to process marijuana violations.

When more marijuana violators are forced into the court system, more of
them are forced into drug treatment as an alternative to jail. Indeed,
admission rates for marijuana treatment more than doubled from 45 per
100,000 people in 1992 to 118 per 100,000 people in 2002.

Without question, America is devoting increased amounts of police, jail,
court, probation and treatment resources on marijuana violations. The
financial impact of that investment is staggering.

An equally staggering impact is on the nation's economy. As more young
marijuana users acquire police records, their futures become bleak. They
can lose eligibility for federal assistance like school loans, mortgages
and public housing. They can lose job opportunities because many employers
do not want to hire persons who have histories of drug offenses. The
productivity of many marijuana users is lost to the national economy; and
that often forces them to turn to crime as a means of support for
themselves and their families - a double loss to America.

So what about the productivity of marijuana users and the relative value of
marijuana?

Marijuana has been in the news twice during the past few weeks. In one news
story, President George W. Bush appears to have admitted that he has smoked
marijuana. This president joins President Bill Clinton in admitting
marijuana use. Note that Clinton said that he "did not inhale." His other
most remembered quote is that he "did not have sex" with Monica Lewinski.

The two presidents, along with many members of Congress, the judiciary,
business owners and CEO's, peace officers and others, grew up at a time
when marijuana use in America was at its peak. Millions of then-young
people smoked marijuana. Today they are part of America's rulers, and they
are part of the horrible duplicity which governs America's marijuana
policy. The bottom line is that marijuana use, in and of itself, does not
prevent people from becoming productive, law-abiding citizens (nor even
from becoming presidents).

The other news article is from some people in the medical community hailing
marijuana's potential medicinal benefit in the treatment of Alzheimer's
disease. It is already accepted as medicine in the treatment of cancer,
glaucoma, pain management and various other ailments.

Some states and countries already have legalized the cultivation and
possession of marijuana for medical purposes.

It is clear then that marijuana has some medical value in addition to
whatever other value productive, otherwise law abiding users have discovered.

Yes, using marijuana has dangers, and yes, using any mood altering
substance has dangers, and yes, marijuana poses particular dangers to
young, developing minds. But given the potential medicinal value and given
the clear indication that marijuana use alone does not guarantee that one
will wind up homeless and living in a ditch - given all this - it is time
to stop making criminals of those who are caught possessing or using small
amounts of marijuana.

It is also time to begin serious study about the medicinal value of
marijuana. Finally, it is past time for yesterday's users who now run the
system to stop sending today's users to jail at great cost to the users,
their families and the nation's treasury.