LEGAL POT: TIME TO MAKE THE MOVE

A group calling itself Show-Me Cannabis is making the state's first
overt move to legalize marijuana. If it succeeds, we will be on the
way toward a more rational and crime-free society.

The group last month presented petition proposals to the secretary of
state for approval. Next would come signature solicitations and public
votes. One of the initiatives would enact a statute and the other an
amendment to the state constitution. The statutory route would be
best. Details of the criminal code are best determined in statutes,
not constitutions.

If marijuana were legalized, it would be a step toward a more rational
society but far from realizing the ultimate benefit of legalizing
drugs. Marijuana already is so widely accepted that the pernicious
effects of its black market are mitigated, but the law and its
enforcement bureaucracy still declare pot illegal, a state of
foolishness better undone.

If pot legalization does get on the ballot, it will engender
opposition from law enforcement officials who believe their activities
are the main incentive for users to seek treatment and change their
behavior.

A former president of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting
Attorneys said, "I think it is awfully difficult to take marijuana and
place it in the same position as alcohol," but that is precisely what
should be done. Taxes could be collected. The quality of the product
could be monitored. And the road to treatment for those who want it
would be opened.

Law enforcement is given a huge piece of work and a lot of money by
legislatures criminalizing drugs and their use. But everyone surely
knows the so-called "war on drugs" is futile and counterproductive.
The resulting black markets create crime and destroy the ability of
society to monitor and regulate the products.

We learned the hard way that ending Prohibition was exactly the way to
deal with alcohol. We are slow in doing the same with drugs.
Legalizing pot is a minor step toward this goal, but breaking the ice
can be an important first step. Let's hope Show-Me Cannabis gets its
statutory initiative on the ballot so we finally can test the
sentiment of voters. My hunch is the proposition will pass, perhaps
overwhelmingly.

HJW III

All politics are based on the indifference of the majority.

- - JAMES RESTON