CHALLENGING THE POT-SMOKERS

In response to some of the recent editorials presented regarding
Question 2 and the Cannabis Reform Coalition (CRC), I think it's
important to challenge the problematic - and frankly, offensive - insinuations.

The first challenge is in regards to commentary that the CRC and
others working for drug reform are only interested in smoking pot,
huffing dread wax and buying $40 drug rugs at Trade Roots. Most
insidiously, it's important to challenge remarks claiming that
decriminalization - and drug law reform in general - is somehow "not
important" or a "non-issue" with little effect on the larger political climate.

Despite the scathingly clever and intellectually consistent social
commentary in which the writers seem to simultaneously support and
detest our ability to energize and activate the student populace,
marijuana decriminalization is a much larger issue than just
marijuana. It is also coincidently much larger than just this campus
and this state on Nov. 4.

Marijuana decriminalization is, in fact, a social justice issue. It's
the largest contributor to arrests in the nationwide - and
increasingly globalized - war on drugs.

It's a war - like the War on Terror - which is, by nature, unwinnable
and unaccountable to its stated goals of "eradicating drug use."
Marijuana prohibition is an issue stretching much greater than its
stated intent. In fact, it provides excellent insight into a variety
of intersecting social problems in our criminal justice system.

According to Massachusetts' Drug Policy Alliance (Drugpolicy.org), 50
percent of the prison population consists of people of color. This is
not because people of color do drugs at a higher frequency than
whites. Instead, it's because of disparities in arrests, booking,
access to lawyers and sentencing. People of color are incarcerated at
a far higher level than whites who have committed similar crimes.

This is true across the country. Minorities and low-income
individuals are particularly at a disadvantage when it comes to crime
and punishment - contributing to the stereotype that "all (fill in
the blank minority) are dangerous criminals."

Not only that, but felons are not allowed to vote, which means a
large percentage of potential minority voters are deliberately
silenced. In this case, individuals- - many of whom are young - can
reasonably say that "my vote doesn't count."

Under current state law, being simply convicted of possessing a
single joint can create a stain on one's record - specifically, the
CORI criminal background report - which bars that individual from
access to financial aid, public housing, adopting children, serving
as a foster parent and can make that individual lose or be prevented
from obtaining employment.

By imposing such draconian punishments on simple possession,
punishments are statistically unevenly distributed according to race
and class. We are, in fact, ensuring that these "criminals" - only
such because possession is defined as a crime - have no options but
to continue to be criminals. If they can't get a legitimate job or
state assistance for housing and are already at a disadvantage
economically or socially, why wouldn't they try to make money as a drug dealer?

This is how the war on drugs mistakenly justifies itself - by calling
people criminals. This makes it legitimate to continue to fight the
crime they've invented no matter how many millions of dollars or
individual liberties are wasted along the way. Decriminalization,
though it still labels the act of smoking or possessing up to one
ounce a crime, would effectively deprioritize marijuana to a lesser
crime on the totem pole - not to mention one which will not eliminate
access to social programs and civil rights.

Inevitably, if we and other states continue to speak our mind about
marijuana reform and drug war reform in general, we can make it
possible to enact a legitimately sensible drug policy which does not
oppress and impoverish communities and individuals in the name of a
"war" we simply cannot win.

On a related note, to somehow also insinuate that the CRC is made up
of apolitical stoners whose only causes are scrounging up the next
blunt or bag of chips is an offensive, low-brow stereotyped attack.
Notwithstanding, the fact is we actually have an unusually diverse
spectrum of political views and beliefs within our rapidly expanding ranks.