Legal Commentary

Time to Talk About Marijuana

By Jeralyn

ACLU executive director Kathleen Taylor has an op-ed in today's Seattle Times, Let's Talk About Marijuana. It begins:

A College student loses his financial aid because of a youthful indiscretion. A woman coping with the ravages of ovarian cancer lives in fear of being arrested for using what best eases her suffering. Across town, a front door bursts open and police rush in to handcuff a man relaxing in his living room.

These events have one thing in common: marijuana. Whether it is being kicked out of college for a youthful mistake, being denied relief from pain as a cancer patient, or getting arrested for personal use in one's home, marijuana laws have far-reaching consequences.

The consequences greatly outweigh any danger or risk posed by marijuana. [More...]

Unjust and uneven enforcement is just one of the ramifications of treating marijuana use as a criminal matter. Noted physician and pharmacologist John Morgan has said, "The most dangerous thing about marijuana is to be arrested for its possession or use."

Indeed, the consequences of an arrest for even a small amount of marijuana can haunt someone for the rest of his or her life. We have met and heard from people who lost or were denied jobs, had their homes raided and their property seized, lost child-visitation rights, and had their medical marijuana confiscated.

Unfortunately, it's a discussion no one in politics seems willing to engage in.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 18, 2008 (boomark / email).