What's next? Amid all the munchie-themed jokes from reporters, political elites and late-night comedians, this remains the overarching question after Coloradans voted overwhelmingly to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in the same way alcohol is already legalized, regulated and taxed. Since those anti-Drug-War principles are now enshrined in Colorado's constitution, only the feds can stop this Rocky Mountain state if they so choose. But will they? And should they even be able to? The answer to the former is maybe. Barack Obama campaigned for president pledging to respect state marijuana laws but his Justice Department has been authorizing federal crackdowns. Now, with the results of the 2012 election, Colorado's Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper has been forced into the awkward position of fighting off the feds in defense of a state constitutional amendment he tried to defeat. [continues 389 words]
Regarding your Nov. 19th editorial: Tift County School System administrators need to educate themselves on the downside of student drug testing. Student involvement in after-school activities like sports has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation in extracurricular programs. Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. This is one of the reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics opposes student drug testing. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. [continues 126 words]
Tift County School System administrators should think carefully before implementing a proposed random drug testing program for some students in grades seven through 12. The school officials' desire to prevent drug abuse is understandable, especially since gang activity seems to be more prevalent in the schools today. But why test only athletes and students involved in extracurricular activities? Wouldn't kids involved in sports and extracurricular activities be less likely to use drugs than those who goof around after school doing nothing? [continues 127 words]
