Issue Position: Legalizing Marijuana

Issue Position

My position is that we should legalize marijuana and allow people to use it with caution and moderation which will take power away from drug dealers. By regulating and taxing it, we create a revenue base for multiple programs that need funding, including substance abuse programs. Right now substance abuse programs have to shut their doors because the funding isn't there, but the abuse continues. The 40 years of a war on drugs hasn't gotten rid of marijuana use so it's time we put the issue out there and look at it in the light of today's reality. We need to legalize it, tax it, and manage it which will give us the means to take control away from drug dealers and the drug lords in Mexico who are growing rich on it.

Q: You promote legalizing marijuana as a way to bring in revenue. That makes it sound like you think our country should become its own drug dealer?

A: It's about taking power away from drug dealers and the social reality of its actual use in our society. We don't need to pretend people aren't using it and we don't need to assume they're going to be irresponsible if they do. If marijuana use is legal and regulated, it's much more controllable. The only ones with control now are the drug dealers and their suppliers. Look back to the era of Prohibition. Alcohol use was thought by many to be cause of all the social problems in our country. Yet, crime increased during that time, including arrests made for drunkenness and drunk driving. Thefts, assaults, and federal convictions also increased greatly. It's time we look at our social reality and reassess the real cause for the problems in society. We need to make room to address those instead of wasting time with marijuana.

Q: Alcohol and Marijuana are often considered "gateway' drugs. Why would you feel that legalizing another dangerous substance could help people?

A: I'm not the only one who believes that marijuana has helped people and isn't as dangerous as some believe. But you can find statistics to support any position on this. Let's look at real people and not numbers. I don't believe that the use of any one substance automatically makes a person drawn to another. People use alcohol and that doesn't make them alcoholics or drug abusers. Part of the gateway issue is in how users now get marijuana. They go to someone who is making money selling it illegally. It's much more likely that a drug dealer selling marijuana will also be selling things like cocaine which are physically addictive. The drug dealers are the gateway, not the substance itself. But if the only way to get marijuana is through regulated distribution, then the access to the real gateway is cut off.

Q: You've said that by legalizing marijuana, crime will go down and prisons will be less crowded. How does that work? A: The biggest users of marijuana are young people. They are also the biggest group to use alcohol and smoke cigarettes. But marijuana is the only one of those substances that sends them to jail. For most of them that's their first encounter with law enforcement and it's a bad one. It does more harm than good to send these kids to jail. They end up losing all respect for the police. Don't our police have something better to do than harass people smoking pot?

Q: Alcohol and Marijuana use contribute to health related problems, including those relating to addiction. How can you support anything that will give more burden to our healthcare systems?

A: Let's look at the fact that marijuana is now prescribed for use in treating some medical conditions. It's used for chronic pain, migraines, seizures, glaucoma, Multiple Sclerosis, PMS, and research has found that it has even slowed down the production of cancerous tumors and may be able to block the effects of Alzheimer's disease. There are plenty of prescription drugs for these conditions and more that are both addictive and highly abused. Marijuana does not cause a physical addiction or dependency. Psychological, perhaps, but not physical where the body craves it or has a negative effect from lack of its use. Many of the legal prescription drugs cause issues with addiction and an additional burden to our healthcare system despite the fact that they're meant to be available to help patients. Narcotics available through the pharmaceutical companies are truly one of our biggest drug problems.

Q: Studies show that marijuana use has a negative impact on the growth and development of children and youth. How can a parent who uses tell a child not to? What about the effects of second hand smoke?

A: Think about responsible adults who choose to have a glass of wine with their dinner. They aren't serving it to their children and they shouldn't be. Marijuana is the same way. And just as parents who smoke "regular' cigarettes should avoid smoking around children for that second hand risk, the same goes for any who use marijuana. Again, it's all about moderation and reasonable use. Unfortunately there are going to be parents who use many things irresponsibly whether anything is legal or not. That's not an issue for marijuana, that's an issue about parenting.

Q: How do you expect to get police officers to support you when you're bashing them for upholding our laws about marijuana use?

A: I'm not bashing them, I'm listening to them. First off, I help many police officers in my business by giving them information they need to find and catch real criminals. I've asked them about this issue. Several have told me that they'd rather deal with someone who has been smoking pot then drinking alcohol - they're easier to manage. They also see that we're wasting prison space and their time with all the arrests being made for marijuana use when their time could be spent catching real criminals who need to be kept away from the general public - the ones who are truly dangerous.

Q: What about users who drive? I don't want to be driving on the road with someone who has been using marijuana - their judgment and response times are compromised!

A: No one should use it and drive. That's where regulations and laws come in and become realistic and relevant. If you're smoking and driving you should be arrested just like you should be arrested if you drink and drive. I believe that if people could use it legally in their homes they wouldn't be using it in their cars. What people do in their own homes should be their business.

Q: Would you ever support legalizing all drugs?

A: No, of course not.

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