Smoke Signals

MEDICINAL MARIJUANA COULD LEAD TO DECRIMINALIZATION

Local residents recently collected 7,000 signatures to place an initiative
legalizing medical marijuana on the Ann Arbor ballot this November. This
move represents a positive exercise of direct democracy in the way it was
intended and is veritable progress towards the complete decriminalization
of marijuana.

Ballot initiatives, at the state level, are grossly undemocratic -- they
are tools of the powerful elites who have the money and resources to
collect hundreds of thousands of signatures. It takes large sums of money
to hire petitoners across the state. This local initiative, however, was
conducted in a grassroots manner by unpaid workers. Unlike statewide ballot
initiatives, this initiative does not pervert the democratic process and
represents fundamentally what direct democracy is supposed to be about. The
physical labor and work of concerned, unpaid citizens put an issue on the
ballot without the support of wealthy groups.

Medical marijuana is already legal in many states across the nation. While
federally banned, diverse states including California, Maine and Alaska
have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. While official medical
groups have rejected claims that marijuana has legitimate medical
applications, many individuals have reported positive results. The choice
to use marijuana for medical purposes should not be left up to states and
national organizations, but rather left between individual doctors and
patients, allowing for maximum flexibility and individual choice in heath care.

While this bill seeks to legalize medicinal marijuana, it might be the
start of a trend towards complete decriminalization. Marijuana, unlike many
harder drugs, poses a minimal health risk because it is neither toxic nor
highly addictive. Thus, the decision to use marijuana should be left up to
individuals; there is no compelling state interest in banning it. Any
police action spent pursuing marijuana offenders is a waste of government
resources. While this step of decriminalization is probably not in the near
future, Ann Arbor will probably become a trendsetter -- the first city in
the state to do so.

The city has already taken steps to minimize punishment for marijuana
usage. The Ann Arbor Police Department hands out a fine significantly
smaller than the state-imposed sanction which the Department of Public
Safety is forced to issue. The annual celebration of marijuana -- Hash Bash
- -- is held in Ann Arbor (off areas with DPS jurisdiction) with minimal
police interference.

This ballot initiative is a positive development, not only for the
democratic process but also individual freedom. The choice to use marijuana
for medicinal purposes should be left to individuals and their health care
professionals, not to a universal legal code. Furthermore, while the
immediate decriminalization of an essentially harmless drug is a pipe
dream, this initiative is a step in the right direction. In November,
citizens should turn out to the polls to show support for a measure that
will enhance individualism and renew faith in the direct democratic process.