POT AMENDMENT DESERVES A 'NO'

Amendment 44 Is Bad Policy

There must be hundreds of things that sensible Coloradans believe
would benefit this state, but surely one of them is not an infusion
of more illegal drugs. Yet here we are, thanks to Amendment 44,
poised as a state to vote on whether we should make it easier to get
high on marijuana.

It's an atrocious idea and deserves a resounding defeat.

Amendment 44 would legalize under state law the possession of up to
one ounce of marijuana for adults who are 21 and older. But of course
federal laws involving marijuana would remain in place. And it would
still be illegal under a variety of statutes to buy or grow marijuana
(except for medicinal use), so the only way someone could "legally"
possess the substance would be by breaking other laws.

That's the first problem with Amendment 44: It encourages people to
enter the illicit drug market.

But the bigger problem with the measure is that it is based on faulty premises.

. It is simply not true, as the measure's advocates suggest, that law
enforcement in this state devotes any significant amount of time or
resources pursuing minor possession cases unrelated to serious crimes.

. It is not true that Coloradans are being incarcerated or otherwise
punished harshly for minor marijuana possession. Possession of under
an ounce is already a petty offense.

. It is not true that marijuana is a harmless alternative to alcohol.
Alcohol is dangerous when abused, but marijuana can be dangerous,
too. Too many people become psychologically addicted to its drug.
Some users get into accidents or otherwise endanger themselves. Some
become intrigued with harder, more addicting drugs and begin to
experiment with them.

Ah, but isn't the present ban on marijuana equivalent to a double
standard given the many accidents, crimes and other social problems
associated with alcohol, which is not only legal but widely sold and promoted?

Maybe, but maybe not.

We simply don't know what the social costs of marijuana would be if
it were as widely used as alcohol - but we can be certain they'd be
significant. Why would Colorado want to be the guinea pig in
resolving this question?

What bothers us as much as anything about Amendment 44 is the message
it would send to teens, and the possible spike in marijuana use among
them if it were to pass. The national trend in teen use of marijuana
in recent years actually has been fairly encouraging. The war on
drugs may be much ridiculed as a hopeless cause, but people do in
fact respond to reasonable arguments about why they should stay
sober. Even kids respond - which is extremely important since early
drug use is the gravest warning sign of possible addiction problems to come.

Passage of Amendment 44 would signal that voters in Colorado, despite
the anti-drug messages they insist on being preached in schools, in
fact do not believe there is much of a downside to marijuana use. And
if there isn't, kids will reasonably wonder, why not check it out?

We don't think there is a double standard in our position, but if
there is then so be it. More drug use is not one of the many things
that might improve this state.