Pubdate: Sun, 18 Mar 2012
Source: Journal Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN)
Copyright: 2012 The Journal Gazette
Contact:  http://www.journalgazette.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/908
Author: David C. Kolbe
Note: David C. Kolbe is a Warsaw attorney and was the Kosciusko 
County prosecutor from 1995 to 1998. He wrote this for Indiana newspapers.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA WILL PROFIT THE NATION

For many years there has been a "war on drugs" in this country.

The phrase was itself a piece of propaganda authored by John 
Ehrlichman, President Richard Nixon's assistant on domestic affairs. 
Integral to this "war" has been an extensive and expensive assault on 
a substantial portion of American society  people who use marijuana. 
Not only has it been wrong; it is a terrible failure.

My opinion, shared by a growing number of conservative, liberal and 
libertarian thinkers did not arise out of thin air.

I have dedicated more than 30 years of my life to the criminal 
justice system. I have served as county prosecutor and defended 
thousands of people within that time. I have worked with every part 
of the criminal justice system from beginning to end. I have seen the 
enforcement, prosecution and sentencing of those who smoke pot.

And my opinion is that criminalizing those who use pot is wrong and 
is a waste of time and money. Rather than branding our citizens, this 
state should legalize, regulate and tax pot.

There are two types of crimes in the criminal justice system. The 
first we call malum in se. This means the crime is rooted in evil. 
Nearly every society throughout history has considered these acts as 
crimes: rape, robbery, murder, to name of few.

The other types of crimes are called malum prohibitum. These are 
defined as crimes based upon social expectations or regulations and 
are often victimless. The person is not necessarily acting with evil 
intent. He or she is violating a regulation. This is just where pot fits in.

There are other reasons why pot should be legalized. One is purely 
economic. Under the current scheme, illegality means drug cartels 
make tons of money. It issimple macro-economics.

Another reason harkens back to our Bill of Rights. I contend the 
government has no business telling me what I can or cannot ingest on 
my own property or the private property of another. As long as my 
activity harms no one else, the government should keep its nose out 
of my business.

The truth is that quite a number of people within the system agree 
with what I have said here. They are simply reluctant to speak out 
because of their jobs.This is also true of a number of politicians 
too. We can all understand their reluctance.

However, I prefer to no longer keep silent. It is time to de-criminalize pot.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom