LEGAL SMOKING OF MARIJUANA POSSIBLE SOON

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Among the not-so-wild forecasts inspired by
end-of-decade musings is this one: Within a few years, millions of
Americans may be legally smoking marijuana.

That would have seemed an outlandish notion just a few years ago, but
no longer. Consider:

. Fourteen states have laws that make use of marijuana legal for
medical purposes, and in several of those states the bar for
prescribing the drug is low.

. Thirteen states have decriminalized marijuana possession,
essentially treating it like a civil infraction, and others are
considering following suit.

. Supporters of a measure to legalize marijuana use by any adult in
California say they have enough signatures to get the issue on the
ballot this year, and polls indicate it likely would pass.

. A recent Gallup Poll showed a sharp rise in the number of Americans
who support legalizing marijuana -- 44 percent, up from 36 percent
just five years ago.

There is, however, an obstacle to the drive toward marijuana
becoming, as one proponent put it, "just another brand of beer," and
it is significant: Under federal law, marijuana use is illegal.
Unless Congress reverses itself -- and the polls would have to shift
enormously for that to happen -- state laws legalizing pot would have
to clear court challenges, and past rulings suggest federal law would prevail.

Enforcement, however, is another matter, and on that point the future
is less clear. In October, the Obama administration announced that it
would not prosecute those who prescribe or use medicinal marijuana.
"We will not use our limited resources in the fight against the
marijuana trade against those people who are using it consistent with
state law and to fight serious illnesses, such as cancer or other
diseases," said Attorney General Eric Holder.

Resources will be no less limited in the next one or three or seven
years, so even though an administration official says recreational
use won't be tolerated, President Obama may face a decision about
whether to give tacit approval to marijuana use by declining to crack
down. That could set up an interesting showdown if the next president
were to take a tougher approach, particularly if millions of people
in several states already had been using the drug semi-legally for years.

The push toward legalization is occurring without much attention
being paid to the potential consequences. Many advocates use the
argument that marijuana taxes would bring needed revenue to local and
state governments, but they typically ignore the social costs,
including increased drug dependence, greater use by minors and,
because the drug impairs motor skills, more traffic deaths and injuries.

There would be other health consequences -- marijuana smoke is more
damaging to lungs than cigarette smoke, it increases the risk of
heart attack and, used long-term, it can cause brain damage.

Marijuana isn't the dangerous, mind-frying drug it once was portrayed
as, nor can a compelling case be made that it is a "gateway" drug --
while it's true that nearly all who use cocaine or heroine started
with marijuana, it's just as true that most who smoke pot don't
graduate to those harder drugs.

Punishment for marijuana use has properly been reduced over the
years, and there can be legitimate debate about whether Texas laws
are still too harsh.

Yet the accelerating national move toward legalization is troubling.
Marijuana's significant negative physical and psychological effects
deserve much more attention from those who think laws should permit
them to walk into a store and buy it. Smoking dope is funny when
Cheech and Chong do it, but the real-life effects aren't always so comical.