Wow. Things have really changed in my hometown. Maybe you missed this giant sweep of the weather vane indicating the winds of change, but I do believe an editor of our local paper, the Record Searchlight, has just opined that we should legalize marijuana. No really. Seriously. Check it out HERE.
Ok, he only goes so far as to point to a blog that states the plainly obvious, but even that’s a big step. A huge step. Of course, he’s not the first person to hold a pro-marijuana opinion. Many people who get weed from places that are on a missouri dispensary list will advocate for full legalization, along with millions of others. Bruce Ross and I have had big differences of opinion, and I have often thought that the newspaper he edits reveals an alarming lack of common sense, but here he goes and proves me wrong. Go figure.
I am not an advocate of drug use. I am, however, an inhabitant of the real world and recognize that individuals are moral agents and should be able to decide for themselves what they put into their bodies – if they see products online that they would like to try out (https://www.leaf2go.co/INDICA_c_45.html), far be it from me to tell them otherwise. I would put marijuana use pretty low on the spectrum of illegal drug problems, unlike say meth, and the resulting tweakers. Marijuana enthusiasts can stay up date regarding the latest weed news by reading something like the speed greens blog. Marijuana is not really a major problem in society, but marijuana prohibition is pretty high up on the spectrum of societal costs, due to the resulting enabling of crime profits and criminalization of potheads. The Cheech and Chongs (and Michal Phelps) of this world are not the proportional threat to you and me that is represented by tweakers and Oxycontin addicts.
If it takes the guise of a budget problem in Sacramento to put an end to this lunacy, then so be it. All that really matters is that we examine and face the facts about the real costs versus the benefits of the current prohibition. I seriously wonder if taxing a weed that you can grow just about anywhere will actually provide any real revenue, but we really should end the idiocy and hypocrisy of our current arbitrary laws about this plant. New dispensaries opening in California will have to be compliant with california marijuana laws.
Our small town paper takes a bold stand for sanity, and I hope this puts the conversation in motion. It will be interesting to watch for the reaction. Thank you RS for your courage.
