Pubdate: Fri, 17 Oct 2008
Source: Massachusetts Daily Collegian (U of MA, Edu)
Copyright: 2008 Daily Collegian
Contact: http://www.dailycollegian.com/home/lettertotheeditor/
Website: http://www.dailycollegian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1401
Author: Heather McCormack, Collegian Contributor
Note: Heather McCormack is a Cannabis Reform Coalition member.
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n909/a04.html
Cited: Question 2 http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/
Cited: Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition http://MassCann.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?161 (Marijuana - Regulation)

CHALLENGING THE POT-SMOKERS

In response to some of the recent editorials presented regarding 
Question 2 and the Cannabis Reform Coalition (CRC), I think it's 
important to challenge the problematic - and frankly, offensive - insinuations.

The first challenge is in regards to commentary that the CRC and 
others working for drug reform are only interested in smoking pot, 
huffing dread wax and buying $40 drug rugs at Trade Roots. Most 
insidiously, it's important to challenge remarks claiming that 
decriminalization - and drug law reform in general - is somehow "not 
important" or a "non-issue" with little effect on the larger political climate.

Despite the scathingly clever and intellectually consistent social 
commentary in which the writers seem to simultaneously support and 
detest our ability to energize and activate the student populace, 
marijuana decriminalization is a much larger issue than just 
marijuana. It is also coincidently much larger than just this campus 
and this state on Nov. 4.

Marijuana decriminalization is, in fact, a social justice issue. It's 
the largest contributor to arrests in the nationwide - and 
increasingly globalized - war on drugs.

It's a war - like the War on Terror - which is, by nature, unwinnable 
and unaccountable to its stated goals of "eradicating drug use." 
Marijuana prohibition is an issue stretching much greater than its 
stated intent. In fact, it provides excellent insight into a variety 
of intersecting social problems in our criminal justice system.

According to Massachusetts' Drug Policy Alliance (Drugpolicy.org), 50 
percent of the prison population consists of people of color. This is 
not because people of color do drugs at a higher frequency than 
whites. Instead, it's because of disparities in arrests, booking, 
access to lawyers and sentencing. People of color are incarcerated at 
a far higher level than whites who have committed similar crimes.

This is true across the country. Minorities and low-income 
individuals are particularly at a disadvantage when it comes to crime 
and punishment - contributing to the stereotype that "all (fill in 
the blank minority) are dangerous criminals."

Not only that, but felons are not allowed to vote, which means a 
large percentage of potential minority voters are deliberately 
silenced. In this case, individuals- - many of whom are young - can 
reasonably say that "my vote doesn't count."

Under current state law, being simply convicted of possessing a 
single joint can create a stain on one's record - specifically, the 
CORI criminal background report - which bars that individual from 
access to financial aid, public housing, adopting children, serving 
as a foster parent and can make that individual lose or be prevented 
from obtaining employment.

By imposing such draconian punishments on simple possession, 
punishments are statistically unevenly distributed according to race 
and class. We are, in fact, ensuring that these "criminals" - only 
such because possession is defined as a crime - have no options but 
to continue to be criminals. If they can't get a legitimate job or 
state assistance for housing and are already at a disadvantage 
economically or socially, why wouldn't they try to make money as a drug dealer?

This is how the war on drugs mistakenly justifies itself - by calling 
people criminals. This makes it legitimate to continue to fight the 
crime they've invented no matter how many millions of dollars or 
individual liberties are wasted along the way. Decriminalization, 
though it still labels the act of smoking or possessing up to one 
ounce a crime, would effectively deprioritize marijuana to a lesser 
crime on the totem pole - not to mention one which will not eliminate 
access to social programs and civil rights.

Inevitably, if we and other states continue to speak our mind about 
marijuana reform and drug war reform in general, we can make it 
possible to enact a legitimately sensible drug policy which does not 
oppress and impoverish communities and individuals in the name of a 
"war" we simply cannot win.

On a related note, to somehow also insinuate that the CRC is made up 
of apolitical stoners whose only causes are scrounging up the next 
blunt or bag of chips is an offensive, low-brow stereotyped attack. 
Notwithstanding, the fact is we actually have an unusually diverse 
spectrum of political views and beliefs within our rapidly expanding ranks.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake