ONWARD, MARIJUANA WARRIOR!

First, you should know that Carl Olsen stopped smoking pot 22 years ago. He
didn't stop because he had a bad trip. And he didn't quit because he
stopped enjoying weed. A tasty smoke is just as appealing now as it ever was.

Olsen quit because he believes great strides in pot advocacy will only come
from great self-sacrifice. So he laid down his pipe and took up politics.

Ever since, he's been marijuana's most vocal Iowa fan. Lately, his belief
that we should legalize marijuana, legalize medical marijuana and recognize
drug addictions as mental illnesses has become widely accepted, hardly
raising an eyebrow within the Democratic Party, where Olsen serves on the
county, district and state platform committees.

By using his Web site and signing people up at rock concerts, Olsen has
worked to mobilize marijuana supporters.

"People think marijuana turns you into a three-headed monster," he says.
"Once you've used it, it's hard to believe that."

(I always thought pot turned you into my friend Steve, who spent way too
much time in his basement watching bootleg Asian imports of "Pulp Fiction.")

At last weekend's statewide Democratic convention, language Olsen suggested
- - "Recognizing substance abuse as an illness and not as criminal behavior"
- - was placed within the Universal Health Care platform plank.

In the end, the Universal Health Care plank, including Olsen's provision,
was voted the party's No. 1 priority.

But just as he's making progress on behalf of weed, he finds himself
fighting a more immediate battle with The Man.

Olsen recently lost his job after 12 years with the Iowa Department of
Transportation's permit department. He says he was fired for mistakes he
made and insubordination, but the department can't officially comment on
the reasons for his dismissal. Olsen says he thinks the firing has nothing
to do with his work on behalf of pot. His union is representing him, but
the IDOT's first judgment was against him. His next step will be to go
before a grievance resolution panel.

There were a few big mistakes, Olsen says, but he claims other co-workers
made similar and worse mistakes all the time.

The more interesting charge is insubordination. Olsen says he was
constantly working to change the permit system and make it more efficient.
He thought it was ridiculous he was forced by the department's rules to
sometimes send customers from office to office for services he could provide.

" hey told me I was the only one who didn't understand," Olsen says. "I got
really upset."

Occasionally when he was talking to a customer, Olsen would complain to
them about the department's bureaucracy. His bosses thought it was bad
customer service, but you've got to wonder whether the government has the
right to stop a citizen from criticizing it.

Before he was fired, he began working with state Rep. Ed Fallon (D-Des
Moines) to make changes in the system. It's a complex case, Fallon says.

"It seems Carl has made some mistakes, but that's not uncommon," he says.
"He's been very aggressive about telling legislators what changes could be
made to improve the IDOT's service and also save money. It looks to me like
it could be some retribution because of his proactive stance. ... He's made
some really good points, and some have since become law."

The state denies Olsen's quest to better the government has anything to do
with his dismissal. Shirley Andre, director of the department's Motor
Vehicle Division, says the IDOT encourages employee suggestions, and it has
several systems in place to encourage suggestions.

This marijuana advocate may be a party player, but he's now partly
depending on the Democrats, through Fallon's assistance, to help him
navigate the system and get his job back. Just as Olsen found himself in a
winning position, he has to fight for his livelihood, not just his hobby.