Pubdate: Tue, 19 Apr 2005
Source: Capital Times, The  (WI)
Copyright: 2005 The Capital Times
Contact:  http://www.captimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/73
Author: Gary Storck
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

REGULATED CANNABIS WOULD BENEFIT SOCIETY

Having just returned from the annual conference of the National 
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in the most cannabis 
friendly city in the United States - San Francisco - I found a bit of irony 
in reading about allegations of cannabis smoking in a back room at BJ's 
Roadside Inn in Dunn.

Cannabis, not a drug but an herb, has long been utilized as a substitute 
for alcohol and other widely used addictive substances. The Netherlands has 
tolerated cannabis possession, sales and consumption in coffee shops since 
1976. Last November, by a 65 percent margin, voters in Oakland, Calif., 
passed Measure Z, a local initiative supporting taxed and regulated sales 
of cannabis at licensed outlets in the city, and its implementation is 
being explored.

Back here in Wisconsin, each day brings more sad stories of alcohol-induced 
mayhem: sexual assaults, car crashes, hit and runs, fights, etc. It is 
counterproductive to society as a whole to arrest people for offering a 
safer alternative to alcohol and other drugs.

Regulated cannabis offers the opportunity to make Dane County a safer place 
while providing tax revenues to fund social services and other programs. In 
addition, it would make access easier for medical users while keeping it 
out of the hands of children. Rather than spend the $10,400 NORML says it 
costs for each marijuana arrest, isn't it time to think outside the box?

Gary Storck

Madison 
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MAP posted-by: Beth