Pubdate: Fri, 07 Oct 2005
Source: Arizona Daily Wildcat (AZ Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Arizona Daily Wildcat
Contact:  http://wildcat.arizona.edu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/725
Author: Jeff Beran
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1582/a05.html
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1582/a04.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

STRICTER PENALTIES NEEDED TO REGULATE UNPRODUCTIVE 'STONERS'

The Tuesday mailbag had many insightful ideas about marijuana legalization. 
Unfortunately, not a single one of them gives a shred of hope for escaping 
the age of societal decadence by which we've all become disillusioned. The 
fact is that marijuana is not the real issue in this debate at all. The 
issue is the effect that marijuana has on its users, who have an effect on 
society, which has an effect on everyone.

At this point, I could rattle off about 15 to 20 conclusive statistics to 
prove this point, but that would both bore you and deter from my point. (If 
you are interested, a simple Google search for something like "drug use" 
will yield thousands of viable results.) Violent crime, poverty, abuse, 
addictions, depression and anger are among the many direct negative 
ramifications of illicit drug use, especially marijuana. The facts don't lie.

The only solution to break the cycle that we're in is not to become less 
regulatory but to become more regulatory. In fact, if the penalty of being 
caught with marijuana or any illicit substance just one time warranted say, 
three years in federal prison and carried a three-strikes-and-you're-out 
law, that "high" everyone is looking for wouldn't seem like so much of a 
high when they saw the risk and knew the consequences.

Yeah, maybe we'd have to build a lot more prisons and my taxes might 
increase, but I'm willing to part with a little bit of money if it means 
that the future of America might have fewer drug addicts and broken homes 
than educated workers and responsible mothers and fathers.

Does this solution solve the problem? No, but it's not a quick fix like 
legalization is and though it may take generations to have an impact on our 
lives, it may just save us from the downward spiral we're in. Besides, if 
nothing else, I might finally be able to get into the classes that I need 
to graduate that are filled up by the stoners who don't go to class anyway.

Jeff Beran

engineering management junior
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D