POT PROHIBITION EQUALS BLOWING SMOKE

Before getting all hyped up about the big "M" word - yes, marijuana - rest
assured this is not a case radically calling for its complete legalization.
Far from it.

However, the contention that use of marijuana in limited amounts, without
the intention to resell, should not be immediately punished with arrest is
a viable one. It's far more sensible to sanction such an act with a simple
citation than to treat it as a crime for which the offender can be
incarcerated, as is the case in much of the United States.

This is exactly what the Chicago police Sgt. Tom Donegan was trying to
communicate when he proposed this policy. Moreover, Mayor Richard M. Daley
has endorsed it in the interest of saving the courts from petty (but
costly) cases that tend to be thrown out by judges anyway.

Beyond this, there are numerous reasons to support the reform, not just in
Chicago but on a national level. One concerns where society places its
priorities in fighting crime. Given the choice between spending valuable
resources to apprehend murderers and sexual predators versus jailing
nonviolent pot users, the choice is a no-brainer. Handcuffing people caught
smoking joints and sending them to the county jail is hardly rational when
many such places already face severe problems with overcrowding (think
Johnson County, Iowa).

There is no doubt whether the use of marijuana is injurious to health and
should be penalized in some form. Its surreptitious and illicit
distribution is even more problematic. However, we should keep in mind that
policies concerning pot use are similar to what once existed for alcohol
use - specifically, the failed attempt to stop consumption of alcohol
through Prohibition. The complete ban on booze led to the development of a
black market in which gangsters often had the upper hand and the
environment was a smog of crime and violence. The current situation seems
to be a terrifying dejr' vu when considering the marijuana market, which
looms as a dark and controversial issue in our society. Needless to say,
the prohibition policy is collapsing once again right in front of our eyes.
Strict laws and sentencing procedures do not necessarily mean less pot use
and distribution.

Government surveys show that nearly 100 million Americans have now used
marijuana, an all-time record, and marijuana use by teenagers remains near
record levels. The National Research Council looked at this data and
concluded that stricter laws and tougher punishments have minimal effect on
marijuana use. Furthermore, the Marijuana Policy Project argues that states
should go even further, decriminalizing marijuana use and possession
entirely, because no solid proof has been produced thus far showing a
causal relationship between tough laws and lower marijuana use.

Rather than employing extreme methods, as was once done with alcohol, it
makes more sense to put into effect a system of regulation in which
marijuana possession and use is a less-serious offense and can be
controlled not through stiff jail time but through a simple fine. This will
save time, money, and much-needed jail space. Smoking pot is not a violent
crime; it shouldn't be treated as such.