MARCH FOR MARIJUANA

With reference to the upcoming statewide march for rights concerning
marijuana, there has been a lot of talk and debate about the "terms of
use." There is a bit of a straw man afoot which appears to purport
outlandish doomsday scenarios if the state were to decriminalize this
rather harmless plant.

In discussions with like-minded advocates, I have yet to find any
individual who supports legalization without reasonable regulations.
There is virtually unanimous agreement that responsible use ought to
be enforced, in much the same way alcohol and even cigarettes are
regulated in their recreational use. The latter two are examples of
legal substances which are not only harmful, but indisputably deadly.

Lung cancer has claimed millions of lives; alcohol has devastated
lives and destroyed countless families. Those of us who have actual
experience with marijuana know that it is almost invariably nothing
other than the flagrantly unjust and clearly inconsistent laws against
its use, and the irrational, dogmatic stigma associated with it which
divides families, ruins people's lives, and stains reputations. If
balloon animals were criminalized, birthday clowns would be thought of
as deviant.

This is merely one facet of a multidimensional push for legalization.
If you are one of us, whatever your reasons, march with us in Monroe,
Lafayette, Shreveport and New Orleans on March 2. Monroe's march will
commence in downtown West Monroe on the corner of Trenton and Wood by
the train tracks at 3 p.m. For more information, find us on Facebook
via Legalize Louisiana.

Joseph Roberts

Monroe