Pot and The Pitfalls of Prohibition
Pot and The Pitfalls of Prohibition
Posted by CN Staff on May 19, 2009 at 09:17:07 PT
By Mike Lozon, Holland Sentinel Columnist
Source: Holland Sentinel
Laketown Township, MI ?? A Grand Valley State University student recovers from a gunshot wound while awaiting a court date on a charge of marijuana delivery. The career of an Ottawa County sheriff??s deputy hangs in the balance while he awaits a court date on a charge of carelessly discharging a firearm and causing injury during a drug raid at the student??s apartment.
This local scenario adds up to just one more depressing tale in America??s ineffective and costly War on Drugs ?? a campaign that bears responsibility for the excessive violence and extreme profitability linked to an illicit drug trade.
As a society, it??s time to recognize the futility of legalizing certain mind-altering substances ?? such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine ?? while demonizing others.
The nation should have learned that demonizing doesn??t work following the disastrous prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933, when crime and violence served to flood the land with illegal booze. Known as the ??Noble Experiment,? Prohibition proved that it??s not easy to legislate human nature when it involves the age-old desire to modify one??s perception of reality through drug use.
With the end of Prohibition, alcohol was enshrined as America??s drug of choice. The legal drug is controlled through regulation and taxation.
But taking the substance out of the hands of criminals didn??t eradicate the irresponsible behavior inherent with the misuse of alcohol. When abused, the substance remains a major source of society??s many ills ?? aggressiveness, divorce and tragedies associated with drunken driving.
Because of those problems, I have spent much of my life preaching against the legalization of other drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. My reasoning went like this: Legalizing other drugs would condone their use and compound the problems that society already confronts with alcohol.
That seemed to be a common-sense stand. But like the puritanical prohibitionists of the 1920s, my viewpoint turned a blind eye to the grim reality of the illegal drug trade.
By prohibiting certain drugs, we have no control over their manufacture or distribution. We stand helpless in the face of senseless violence, the corruption of politicians and law enforcement, and a prison system bulging with low-level, non-violent drug felons.
My opposition to drug legalization began to erode with the extraordinary publicity surrounding the revelation that Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps had smoked marijuana at a party. The melodrama surrounding this incident, including a decision by the cereal maker Kellogg to drop its sponsorship of Phelps, was a real eye-opener for me.
How could I possibly continue to speak out against the legal use of marijuana, a drug that is far more benign than alcohol, with any sense of credibility?
In the wake of the Phelps?? media fiasco, we have daily reports of the drug violence in Mexico that is now spilling into neighboring states in America. Of course, that violence is symptomatic of the worldwide turmoil caused by the underground drug market.
The incident that finally convinced me that all mind-altering substances should be legalized, regulated and taxed was the GVSU shooting, involving the student and the sheriff??s deputy.
Police had made three undercover buys of marijuana from the wounded student??s roommate at their off-campus apartment. Less than two hours before the police raid, a fourth buy was initiated, but this time from the student who was injured.
When police charged through the back slider door of the apartment, the unarmed student apparently raised his arms to deflect the glare in his eyes from a police flashlight and was subsequently shot.
What struck me about the incident was the absolute insanity regarding the outcome. Because of the illegal status of a commonly used drug, a couple of college students were profiled as dangerous criminals whose capture necessitated an aggressive intrusion by police.
It finally dawned on me that the time had come to ??just say no? to the inane War on Drugs.
Source: Holland Sentinel (MI)
Author: Mike Lozon, Holland Sentinel Columnist
Published: May 18, 2009
Copyright: 2009 GateHouse Media, Inc.
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