GROUP: TIME TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Joplin Event Slated To Raise Awareness, Advocate Reforms

Does Kelly Maddy have a point, or is it just a case of reefer madness?

Maddy, a local advocate for reforming marijuana laws, believes pot
should be decriminalized. The drug is harmless, he says, and
prohibition destroys the lives of thousands of otherwise law-abiding
citizens.

Nuts, says Joplin police Chief Kevin Lindsey.

Marijuana is a gateway drug, he said, and compared the consequences
to those of a much harder substance, methamphetamine: Those who
indulge aren't just harming themselves; they're hurting their
families and the community.

Also, Lindsey noted, marijuana is illegal. Possession of single joint
is punishable by up to a year in the county jail.

Maddy, 23, is president of the Joplin Chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a nonprofit lobby. The
local chapter kicks off its public awareness campaign with a concert
beginning at 7 p.m. today at Fat Pat's, 532 S. Joplin Ave. The acts
slated are the Ben Miller Band, Cinna the Poet and Jah Roots.

Tickets are $5, and only those 21 or older will be admitted.

Today was chosen because the date - April 20 - is a reference to 420,
the counterculture code for time of day to get high.

"We'll have a table full of literature and merchandise from our
chapter, as well as some fun games for people to participate in,"
Maddy said during a recent interview. "The main objectives will be to
meet and greet the public, and to have a good time while spreading
our message of legalization."

Maddy said that while the long-term goal of Joplin NORML is local
decriminalization, there are no immediate plans to launch a petition
drive to force a local initiative such as the kind that succeeded in
the city of Columbia.

In 2004, voters there approved - by margins of about 2-to-1 - a
proposal to allow the medical use of marijuana and another to set the
maximum fine for possession of less than 35 grams at $250, with no
jail time.

In Joplin, an initiative would require the signatures of 10 percent
of registered voters to place the issue on the ballot during a
regular election and 15 percent to conduct a special election, said
City Clerk Barbara Hogelin.

At last count, she said, there were 33,047 registered voters in
Joplin, so that would mean 3,305 signatures would be needed for a
regular election and 4,958 for a special election. Marijuana is the
fourth-largest cash crop in Missouri, according to the NORML Web
site, and has a street value of about $340 million.

Twelve states, including California and New York, have decriminalized
marijuana to some degree. Just under half of all states, including
Kansas, require users to purchase and affix marijuana tax stamps to
their contraband, although few users, if any, comply. The stamps,
designed to impose taxes on illegal commerce, are primarily sought by
stamp collectors.

"Marijuana prohibition needlessly destroys the lives and careers of
literally hundreds of thousands of good, hard-working citizens each
year in this country," Maddy said. "Joplin is no exception."

Also, he said, Joplin is a college town, and students face the
withdrawal of federal financial aid if they are convicted of
marijuana possession. But if possession of a small amount was reduced
to the level of a traffic fine, he said, students would not risk loss
of their financial aid.

"The vast majority of marijuana smokers, like most other Americans,
are good citizens who work hard, raise families, pay taxes and
contribute in a positive way to the communities they live in," Maddy
said. "We should reflect this reality in our city, state and federal
laws, and put to rest the myth that marijuana smoking is a fringe or
deviant activity engaged in only by those on the edges of our society."

Maddy, a network administrator for a local company, said he smokes
pot but has never been busted. Marijuana, he said, provides him a
safer way to relax than using alcohol - and he doesn't have to worry
about taking too much because "in recorded history, there has never
been a marijuana overdose."

He also said marijuana does not cause the many thousands of deaths
that are associated with alcohol and tobacco.

But Lindsey - who said he has never smoked any kind of cigarette,
marijuana or otherwise - sees things differently. The police chief
said he has never met Maddy, but he would be glad to talk to him
about why he opposes decriminalization.

"The department supports the DARE program, and we teach that in all
14 elementary schools," he said, referring to the federal Drug Abuse
Resistance Education program. "The DARE program centers around the
gateway drugs of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. These drugs
generally lead to increased drug use of the so-called harder drugs,
and I firmly believe that."

Using marijuana, Lindsey said, is not a healthy choice. He said he
believes the drug contains carcinogens and other hazards. Maddy said
there is no conclusive evidence that regular use of marijuana is a
health risk. He said that only a small percentage of those who try
marijuana go on to use harder drugs.

Lindsey said he did not know offhand how many marijuana arrests are
made each year in Joplin, but said the drug is "prevalent."

Maddy agreed.

"It is everywhere," he said.

[SIDEBARS]

On the Web

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws: www.norml.org.

Joplin NORML: www.joplin-norml.org.

Joplin Police Department: www.joplinpolice.org.

Kansas marijuana tax stamp Web site: www.ksrevenue.org/faqs-
abcdrugtax.htm.

Punishment

Possession of less than 35 grams (about 1 1/4 ounces) of marijuana is
a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in the county jail
and a $1,000 fine.

Possession of 35 grams or more is a Class C felony, punishable by up
to seven years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

Stiffer penalties face those who sell or distribute, or deal within
1,000 feet of a school.

Source: Kevin Lindsey, Joplin chief of police

What is 420?

The term originated in 1971 at San Rafael (Calif.) High School among
a group of about a dozen pot-smoking students who called themselves
the Waldos. The term was shorthand for the time of day the group
would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot.

Source: Kelly Maddy, president of Joplin NORML

Globe Investigative Writer Max McCoy recently interviewed Kelly
Maddy, the 23-year-old president of Joplin NORML, via Internet Chat.
The following has been edited for length.

McCoy: Why should Joplin decriminalize marijuana?

Maddy: Marijuana prohibition needlessly destroys the lives and
careers of literally hundreds of thousands of good, hard-working
citizens each year in this country. Joplin is no exception. It is a
misapplication of police

force in our opinion that invites government into areas of our
private lives that are inappropriate and wastes valuable law
enforcement resources that should be focused on serious and violent
crime.

McCoy: But why Joplin? Have any other towns in Missouri
decriminalized pot?

Maddy: Joplin is a college town, and prohibition affects not just
regular citizens, but students as well. The Higher Education Act of
1998 makes it possible to have your federal financial aid withdrawn
because of a drug possession charge, even a joint. But in theory a
rapist or murderer in effect could successfully apply for aid. We see
a serious problem with that. When prosecuted as a municipal offense,
like a traffic ticket, a marijuana offense would not prohibit a
student their federal aid. To answer your other question, yes,
Columbia, MO in 2004 presidential election passed

decriminalization and medical initiatives with overwhelming majorities.

McCoy: So, are you lobbying for decriminalization?

Maddy: That is something that is a future goal for us in Joplin. We
are a very new organization and plan to hold events and forums to
educate the public about the damage marijuana prohibition inflicts on
the otherwise law-abiding citizen.

McCoy: That leads us to the April 20 event. First, tell me the
significance of "4 - 20."

Maddy: The term 420 originated at San Rafael High School
(California), in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking
students who called themselves the Waldos, who are now pushing 50.
The term was shorthand for

the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis
Pasteur, to smoke pot. Intent on developing their own discreet
language, they made 420 code for a time to get high, and its use
spread among members of an

entire generation. A local radio station, 105.3, even runs a bit at
4:20 p.m. everyday to signify this code.

McCoy: So, what's happening in Joplin on April 20?

Maddy: We are holding a benefit concert with 3 regional bands, The
Ben Miller Band, Cinna the Poet, and Jah Roots @ Fat Pat's on 6th and
Main. We will have a table full of literature and merchandise from
our chapter as well as some fun games for people to participate in.
The main objectives will be to meet and greet the public, and to have
a good time while spreading our message of legalization. Doors will
be open @ 7pm, and the music starts @ 8pm w/ the Ben Miller Band
followed by Cinna the Poet, and then Jah Roots. The admission is 5
dollars and all proceeds go to Joplin

NORML.

McCoy: Okay, are you ready for a few yes or no questions?

Maddy: Sure

McCoy: Do you smoke?

Maddy: Yes

McCoy: Are you high now?

Maddy: No

McCoy: Have you ever been busted?

Maddy: No

McCoy: End of yes or no questions. You said you smoke, so tell me
what it does for you.

Maddy: It provides me a safer way to relax recreationally in contrast
to the person that uses alcohol. I know it won't make me violent or
severely intoxicated (ie..alcohol) I don't ever have to worry about
ingesting to much, because in recorded history there has never been a
marijuana overdose, again unlike alcohol and tobacco that causes
directly and indirectly hundreds of thousands of deaths every year.

McCoy: Any reason to use marijuana other than to get high?

Maddy: For me no, but we make people who do need it for medical
reasons criminals and deny them access to medication in some cases
where it is a life and death matter for them. But it is a plant with
many uses ... over 50,000 ... including industrial hemp which is a
non-psychoactive variety of cannabis. Food, clothing, plastic,
building materials, medicines, vanity products ... etc.

McCoy: My high school guidance counselor told me that marijuana would
lead to harder stuff. Does it?

Maddy: There is no conclusive evidence that the effects of marijuana
are casually linked to the subsequent use of other drugs.
Statistically, for every 104 Americans who have tried marijuana,
there is only one regular user of cocaine, and less than one user of
heroin. Marijuana is clearly a "terminus" rather than a gateway for
the overwhelming majority of marijuana smokers. In the Netherlands,
where the lawmakers decided over 25 years ago to separate marijuana
from the illegal drug market by permitting coffee shops all over the
country to sell small amounts of marijuana to adults,

individuals use marijuana and other drugs at rates less than half of
their American counterparts.

McCoy: Is it addictive?

Maddy: According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine, fewer than one in
10 marijuana smokers become regular users, and most voluntarily cease
their use after 34 years of age. By comparison, 15 percent of alcohol
users and 32 percent of tobacco smokers show symptoms of drug
dependence. Put in contrast with other drugs such as alcohol,
tobacco, and even caffeine, the effects of marijuana withdrawal are
generally pretty mild.

McCoy: Given that pot is illegal, where do you find it in Joplin?

Maddy: It is everywhere, it is a shame that Johnny drug dealer could
set up shop in any school yard he chooses because we as adults can't
tax and regulate it like alcohol and tobacco. To put it bluntly, I
have never seen a drug dealer ask for ID.

McCoy: Aren't you afraid that some of the pot you get will be laced
with some kind of toxin?

Maddy: Quality is an issue while it is in the black market as well.
The supply quality could all be taken care of if it was a tax and
regulated drug. But from what I have read, there are no problems with
serious issues such as toxins and herbicides. A dozen raw potatoes
pose more of a threat toxicity-wise then marijuana. I think a lot of
that fear stems from several samples taken in the 1970s that had
trace amounts of a herbicide, known as Paraquat, that the Mexican
government used on fields of marijuana.

McCoy: Isn't marijuana passe now? I mean, don't most people associate
pot with hippies?

Maddy: According to recent statistics provided by the federal
government, nearly 80 million Americans admit having smoked
marijuana. Of these, 20 million Americans smoked marijuana during the
past year. The vast majority of marijuana smokers, like most other
Americans, are good citizens who work hard, raise families, pay taxes
and contribute in a positive way to the communities they live in.
Many successful business and professional leaders, including many
state and elected federal officials, admit they have smoked
marijuana. We should reflect this reality in our city, state, and
federal laws, and put to rest the myth that marijuana smoking is a
fringe or deviant activity engaged in only by those on the edges of
our society. Marijuana smokers are no different from their non-
smoking peers, except for their marijuana use.

McCoy: Okay, we're down to the last question (maybe). Do you have any
advice for somebody who is busted for pot in Joplin?

Maddy: I would say get legal assistance; you are going to need it.
There is a directory of NORML lawyers on the national website at
www.norml.org that can be referenced.

McCoy: Is consumption of snack food a clue to marijuana use?

Maddy: Possibly! Ha Ha ... Marijuana users are just people with
slightly more receptive taste buds ;)

McCoy: Okay, that wraps up my questions. Anything you'd like to add?

Maddy: Use doesn't always equal abuse and people should have the
freedom to make bad choices and learn, like we allow with other
choices for adults that are not appropriate for children, as a free
society we owe it to ourselves to stay that way.