POT INITIATIVE NOT PERFECT, BUT WORTHY

It is now official that a modest reform initiative to partially
legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in this state will be on the
ballot in November. California once again has the opportunity to lead
the nation in recognizing the social harm done by the misguided "war
on drugs" and opt for more sensible policies than our purported
political leaders are prepared to offer.

The Tax Marijuana Initiative, which will be numbered some time this
summer, is a long way from giving marijuana the same legal status as
parsley or arugula. It would make it legal for adults 21 and older to
possess and consume up to an ounce of marijuana and to cultivate a
small amount for personal use. As for larger-scale cultivation and
sales, that would be a local option for cities and counties, which
could decide to allow cultivation, sales and collect taxes, or not.

The state would save the considerable funds it now devotes to
anti-marijuana enforcement. So far the only organized opposition
comes from law enforcement, which will stress the dangers of allowing
yet another mind-altering substance to become legal.

But most Americans now realize that most of the worst social problems
connected with drug use and trafficking arise not from the properties
of the drugs themselves but from the fact that lawmakers have tried
unsuccessfully to institute prohibition. Liquor dealers don't battle
it out on the streets, either here or in Mexico, but they did during
alcohol Prohibition.

It's time to treat marijuana use as a health problem rather than a
criminal problem.