Pubdate: Thu, 29 Nov 2012
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2012 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact: http://www2.indystar.com/help/letters.html
Website: http://www.indystar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210
Author: Erika D. Smith

LEGALIZING POT DOES HAVE ITS FINANCIAL MERITS

I never thought I'd see our leaders engage in an honest discussion
about the merits of legalizing marijuana, especially here in the Midwest.

But then along came Paul Whitesell.

"If it were up to me, I do believe I would legalize it and tax it,"
the superintendent of the Indiana State Police told the State Budget
Committee on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question from state Rep. Sheila Klinker about
the possibility of letting Hoosiers have a small amount of the drug
without the threat of criminal penalties.

Granted, it didn't take long for the obligatory political
cleanup.

Within hours, the Indiana State Police issued a statement softening
Whitesell's words. "Although the superintendent personally understands
the theoretical argument for taxation and legalization, as a police
officer with over 40 years of experience, he does not support the
legalization of marijuana," the statement said.

Then a spokeswoman for Mike Pence made it clear where the incoming
governor stands on the issue. "Gov.-elect Pence opposes the
decriminalization of marijuana, and he will base his decisions about
the leadership of his administration (namely, the superintendent of
the State Police) on a broad range of qualifications rather than a
stance on one issue," Christy Denault said.

But I think Whitesell, like voters in Colorado and Washington, is on
to something. (I have a feeling I might end up with orders for a
random drug test once this column is published, but I digress.)

We are a fiscally conservative state. And there are fiscally
conservative reasons for legalizing, or at least decriminalizing,
marijuana, particularly for residents of Indianapolis.

Consider this: In Marion County alone, between 135,000 and 150,000
residents are ex-offenders, according to the National Employment Law
Project. At least 20 percent of Indianapolis residents have a felony
or a misdemeanor on their records.

Many of those ex-offenders are still on parole or probation and are
unemployed or underemployed because of the stigma of having been
convicted of a crime. They have to submit to frequent drug tests as
part of their punishment, and in Marion County, anyone on parole or
probation is forbidden to use any drugs, including marijuana and even
alcohol.

But people do it anyway - and whether it's wise or not, they will
continue to do it. So what we've created is a system where
ex-offenders routinely end up back in the court system or jail because
they used or were carrying a small amount of marijuana. And they stay
in the system, which is a drag on our community and our tax base.

I've got two words for that: expensive and stupid.

Do we really want a criminal justice system that operates this way? If
someone violates his parole or probation for something serious, such
as assault, then lock him back up. But smoking a joint doesn't count
as a serious criminal act.

Then there are the Hoosiers who have never been arrested, but still
use marijuana on occasion. Now, if you are caught with 10 grams or
less of marijuana, you can be charged with a misdemeanor that carries
a $5,000 fine and jail time. Yes, that's jail time that taxpayers fund.

Again, stupid and expensive.

As a taxpayer, I can think of things I'd rather spend my money on than
arresting, processing, jailing and tracking people - even ex-offenders
- - for petty drug crimes. I'm sure you can, too.

Instead, let's legalize and tax the heck out of it. Then let's use the
revenue to fund some of the things we need in this state. Early
childhood education, for example, or better infrastructure, or mass
transit.

It will be interesting to see what the General Assembly does with this
issue when it convenes in January. I don't have high hopes - no pun
intended - that lawmakers will decriminalize, let alone legalize,
marijuana. But as Whitesell proved this week, I've been surprised before.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt