Purple Haze

For all the Blue State v. Red State, Progressive Culture v. Conservative Culture sparring nowadays, you'd think that any attempted melding of the two extremes would result in a black hole, an instant atomization of our political fabric, or, more realistically, sheer madness. But many people across the country are indeed "reaching across the aisle" in furtherance of such madness. And it just so happens to be my favorite kind... Reefer Madness!

That's right, Democrats and Republicans, Progressives and Libertarians can now agree that its time to end the war on pot. Many even accept that the best option is sensible Legalization!

Now, while it's plenty cool that the only cure for chronic polarization in this country turns out to be exactly what Bob Marley and Peter Tosh told us thirty years ago (Sensimilla, Sticky-Icky, Mary Jane, and so on), and while there is plenty of room for optimism here in the Bay Area, the title of my blog will not allow my own bridled optimism to shine through. Sorry. Instead, let's do a quick point by point breakdown of certain myths about cannabis in the context of its Legalization.

I'll do my best to represent both sides of the proverbial aisle here. Perhaps then some may understand (if they don't already) why the issue of cannabis Legalization has garnered such ridiculously positive attention, but also why we may have to wait a bit before the best cannabis policies can be realized.

First, let's clear up a term or two.

By Legalization I mean total, wholesale allowance of the possession, cultivation, and sale of cannabis. Some feel that this should include allowing use to minors (17 and under), while others do not. I take the latter position for reasons which I shall make clear in a moment.

Legalization is often confused with Decriminalization. Decriminalization does not make the cultivation or sale of cannabis legal, nor does it make personal possession totally nonpunishable. Decriminalization simply means you would not go to jail for holding a smaller amount of pot (say an ounce or under). If found guilty of possession, you may still be fined, forced into community service or addiction treatment by a judge, or something of that nature. If found guilty of sale or cultivation, you may still go to jail.

So I'm talking about Legalization here, not Decriminalization. Most other people are as well, but most people seem to prefer a sort of watered down Legalization which borders on mere Decriminalization. Again, I'm talking about Legalization from here on out.

So here we go...


Let's first paraphrase the polar positions.

The main reasons given for fearing cannabis are: it's a hard drug bad for the body and mind, it's linked to crime, and is associated with the scum of the earth (who, according to the rates of incarceration for pot offenses, appear to be Blacks and Latinos predominantly, people of color in general).

The main reasons given for loving cannabis are: it's a totally natural substance, it's less harmful than alcohol, it's good fun, is totally harmless, is a source of revenue, and it may be a source of employment.

And by the way, it's my own damn body, so I'll ingest what I damn well please when it harms no one else. Especially in light of this Libertarian affirmation, I think it requires a heavy dose of proof to justify incarcerating anyone who uses or possesses a substance aimed at enhancing their personal pleasure in this life. The proof ain't there, so people are starting to second guess the War on Drugs, especially with reference to MJ. Moving on to the myths:


Harmful Devil Weed v Natural Light of God

"Is it a hard drug that causes cancer, depression, makes people crazy, and causes hallucinations that force you to shoot your children and neighbors and worship the Devil?" Not really. First, THC is not a hard, highly addictive chemical. Will some individuals experience pronounced effects, and can pot contribute to respiratory illness if smoked? Sure. Can it catalyze the development of some medical conditions if you are predisposed? Yes. But will it kill you, make you crazy, or make you attack anyone? Unless you're into anthropomorphizing a bag of Cheetos, the answer is NO. And as I'm sure you've heard by now, no one has ever died from a cannabis overdose. Some people even feel closer to God through MJ use.

"Since it's natural, isn't it totally safe and, like, totally a part of the nature of human evolution and, like, the soul and stuff like that dude?" Not so much. Remember, rattle snake venom and bad eggs are natural too. Those things hurt, and I'm not sure what they do for the soul. Look, smoking or vaporizing can feel really good, but it does impair your short term memory, and it delays most sensory and motor functions. Some people get panic attacks or vomit after smoking too much, and if ingested regularly at a young age (as with any substance like alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine) it can negatively effect cognitive development. Fact. So yes, keep it away from the kiddies.

And yes, there is such a thing as Marijuana Users Anonymous! Cannabis can be addictive, albeit to a rather infinitesimal percentage of the long term using population (Roughly 6% of 33% of users. Do the math).

In all though, people recognize that this drug is pretty harmless. It's easily less harmful than alcohol. While many object to it's use and refrain from it for health related or moral reasons, most recognize that the worst thing you get from a rip of a joint is the pain of realizing that you're suddenly out of ice cream and sun chips.

MJ Causes Crime v Criminalization Causes Crime

This is pretty much a no-brainer. Cannabis use is in no way linked to violent behavior. It is in no way linked to lower levels of income or lower levels of professional success (the opposite in one study I read), so it is fair to say that a pothead won't be breaking into your car in order to afford a ten-sack. He may be jimmying your car door with his house key because he forgot which midnight blue Tercel is his (it's dark out for fuck's sake!), but he means you no harm.

The only link between cannabis and crime is this: that it's illegal status couples with it's widespread appeal to create a massive underground market. Such markets are run by criminals with guns. The market for any illegal substance tends to get picked up by the bad guys with the guns. They fight each other and their less savory minions over money and turf. And more money. So, if you want to get rid of the crime associated with pot (i.e. cartels and gang bangers pushing and fighting for massive volume), allow people to grow their own. Or perhaps let the private sector or even the government take over production!

Drop the price and push the cartels out of the bulk of the market. License it so it's more difficult for kids to get a hold of it, and separate the supply of MJ from the supply of more harmful drugs like crack, coke, or meth. Free up law enforcement's time and money to fight real crime. Easy.

Budgetary Big Shot v Shot in the Arm

Many proponents of legalization pitch the idea that legalizing bud will fix the budget. Well, maybe it will help a little. It will save tons of money currently spent enforcing the idiotic criminalization of cannabis (enforcement costs, prison costs, legal and appellate costs, etc.), and the tax revenue would be a good salve for, say, some of the budgetary shortfalls in education. But while pot legalization would be a shot in the fiscal arm, it won't be a cure all. Not a bad idea though.


Pretty straight forward overall. Again, considering my more Libertarian premise (It's my body and I will ingest what I like so long as it harms no one else) and how it seems to echo mass anti-government sentiment on both sides of the aisle at this time, you can see why so many people are willing to give pot a chance on the open market.

Now, will most politicians pick this up? Not really. It's going to have to happen from a true grass-roots level. There are too many people who are still dead-set against "drugs" in general. There are too many people who think that beer is the nectar of the Gods while cannabis and black tar heroin are analogous to Satan's two favorite stooges. Not a good political move to associate yourself with the Devil's Weed. So the candidates can't expect Party or Union support (read $) for their campaigns. Further, some assert that Prison Unions put a lot of money into marijuana criminalization campaigns, because they want more work for more prison guards. Tracking the political donation money seems to corroborate this claim, but I'm not going to bank on this potentially paranoid tangent. In all, unless the cannabis industry throws around some serious cash (which it very well may do before 2010), full legalization is a ways off in Cali, let alone the US of A.

So, while it certainly makes sense to Legalize pot -- restrict children from early access; minimize access to truly hard drugs by disentangling the markets; keep non-violent, otherwise good people from going to prison for a minimum of five years; prevent the ruin of promising lives via felony conviction for small amounts at the age of 19; prevent the breakup of families through imprisonment of parents who are trying to relax after work; allow us the reasonable freedom of our own bodies; save on enforcement costs so we can tackle real crime; and tax it for some much needed revenue -- it will take a little perseverance to make all that happen.

After Legalization, the next step would of course be to hash out exactly how we legalize the stuff. At exactly what age (16, 18, 21?), exactly what amounts, and in what places should cultivation, sale, and use be permissible? In any event, I'm glad to see that the Blue and the Red can finally combine on something, even if the path forward isn't crystal clear.