THERE ARE BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN WEED

Contemplate the following: Fred, a college senior, starts his year by
accidentally getting his girlfriend Jenny pregnant. Fred and Jenny,
both young and both not in love with each other, have a fight. Jenny
wants to keep the baby, but Fred puts his foot down and says Jenny
must get the abortion. A few months later Jenny is still traumatized
by her terminated pregnancy, but Fred has moved on.

One night he's having a good time with some buddies, drinking heavily
and watching Extreme Championship Wrestling. One of the other guys
brings up some past quarrel with Fred, laughing about it, and Fred,
mistaking the joke for an insult, puts his knee in the other guy's
face, breaking his nose and sending him to the emergency room. When
the police come, the other guys cover for Fred, saying it was just
some horseplay gone awry.

The end of the school year comes, and Fred is excited. He has a job
lined up and is ready to be done with school, but he's not done
enjoying the freedom college life allows. He spends an afternoon
sitting around in his underwear, watching cartoons and getting high.
Two weeks later he fails a drug test for his new job, and his
landlord, on suspicion that Fred is growing his own weed in the
apartment, calls the police and Fred is arrested. He's charged with
cultivation and possession, but no intent to distribute, and is
sentenced to three years in prison.

The above fictional example is an attempt to illustrate how ridiculous
the United States' drug laws are. While I'm in no way advocating or
minimizing the effects of abortion or senseless violence, I have to
question the rationale behind criminalizing such a harmless offense as
marijuana use, especially when we can legally harm ourselves and
others so much worse.

American drug laws for marijuana have long been a source of scorn, and
for good reason. The Marijuana Policy Project, a lobbying and activism
outfit founded in 1995, is a leading voice in efforts to lessen the
criminality of marijuana, particularly for medicinal purposes. By
arguing -- and proving, through the testimony of medically-trained
advocates -- marijuana use can ease the effects of several diseases, 13
states have been persuaded to legalize doctor-approved use.
Additionally, MPP's vision statement acknowledges the relative harm of
pot, saying it strives for "a nation where marijuana is legally
regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and
realistic and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive
and geared toward reducing harm."

Is that too much to ask for? Intelligent legislation designed to
actually remedy abuse? Separating the afflicted from the common criminal?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton touched on the subject of drug
abuse on a recent trip to Mexico. Referring to a recent source of
conflict in that country, Clinton said "(America's) insatiable demand
for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade." Insatiable is a strong word,
and Clinton's use of it raises the question: insatiable because we're
addicted, or because it's illegal? Either way, it's clear that
imprisonment isn't going to solve our problems -- dealing with them
openly and responsibly is our best chance.