Opinions from around the country

One does not necessarily promote the use of marijuana by supporting its legalization, just as one does not necessarily promote the use of alcohol by favoring similar policies. One simply recognizes reality.

Sure, many who support legalization do so to justify their own habitual use, and many students do so to look radical without actually being a radical. The problem with both is that they usually disregard the seriousness of drug use, no matter the form of drug.

One of the main arguments against decriminalization is that marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to harder drugs such as acid and cocaine. Yet, the evidence in support of this theory is based solely on anecdotal reasoning — because someone uses two separate drugs doesn’t inherently imply one led to the other.

And while the majority of, say, cocaine users once smoked marijuana, most of those same people used alcohol or tobacco products even before that. A report by the Institute of Medicine says, “Because underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, marijuana is not the most common, and is rarely the first, ‘gateway’ to illicit drug use.”

Of course, even if marijuana were to be decriminalized, use by minors should still be actively discouraged, and stiff penalties should result from selling such products to children.

No, legalization is not a utopian answer for drug use. In fact, marijuana use might actually rise. But it has continued to rise over the past 20 years, despite billions of dollars spent to the contrary. And just as prohibition and subsequent repeal brought about a surge and drop in hard liquor sales, so too might the legalization of marijuana reduce the demand for other, more illicit substances.

But the overriding concern with the war on drugs has been the government’s goal to eradicate drug use altogether, which itself is impossible. Instead, limited resources would be better spent protecting rights, namely arresting people who hurt other people. Government should legalize marijuana and ensure that those who abuse the substance to the detriment of others suffer the consequences of their actions.

It is not an ideal solution, but we would certainly be better off.
This editorial comes from the Kentucky Kernel at the University of Kentucky. This column was distributed by U-Wire.

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