Idaho Mountain Express: Kudos to ?grass roots? movement

TALK BACK: Now you can add YOUR comments about this article.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Kudos to ?grass roots? movement

By DICK DORWORTH

It was a "grass roots" movement in the right direction (up) last week when the small Idaho city of Hailey passed three out of four pro-marijuana initiatives that were on the ballot. Hailey citizens have thereby chosen to help bring some sanity into the drug laws of America and into the lives of the people impacted by them, starting at home.

They voted to legalize the medical use of marijuana, to make enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest priority and to legalize industrial uses of hemp within the city. Unfortunately, an initiative to regulate and tax marijuana sales and establish a Community Oversight Committee did not receive enough votes. Marijuana is not going to go away, and having the elected government of the community tax and regulate it is a far better system for society than the one in place.

Well, these things take time. It's only been a bit more than 70 years since Prohibition failed for the same reasons the war on drugs will fail, has failed and is failing.

Bravo, citizens of Hailey. May the communities of America catch up with you as soon as possible. May the state and federal governments learn (re-learn?) what they learned (or not) more than 70 years ago when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution and prohibition of the sale and consumption and possession of alcohol to drink was repealed.

Not likely that the country will catch up to Hailey (and a few other communities), some will say.

Not in my lifetime, say many.

Over my dead body, say a few.

Eventually, the sooner the better, say others, including a majority of the voters of Hailey.

Good for them.

A lot of the drug laws of America are absurd, none more so than the ones covering marijuana, and not only because they don't work. Marijuana is far less destructive than alcohol, which inspired the 18th Amendment.

Prohibition failed, as anyone with the slightest common sense could have predicted. Prohibition ensured that a few people, some of them not very good people, made a great deal of money; and too many people, most of them good people, had their lives destroyed by the law, not the drug. As a drug, alcohol destroys all too many lives with an incalculable physical, emotional, mental, social, economic and ecological cost to the world, but that is a different story. The destruction it causes cannot be legislated away, as the country came to recognize in 1933.

1933!

The court, jail, police, probation and legislative resources being used up to no good end in pursuit and punishment of marijuana criminals are enormous. Those resources could be and should be devoted to more significant criminals whose activities do far more damage to society than those whose crime is smoking (and, sometimes, baking) a weed. The toll on the lives and productivity of people convicted of using a substance that is less damaging, both personally and socially, than the legal-to-use alcohol (or, for that matter, nicotine, which kills even more people than alcohol) is beyond measure. It is the law, not the drug, that takes the toll; and, as in the days of prohibition, the law rewards a few, some of them very bad people, who get enormously wealthy breaking that law, and damages the lives of many others, most of them quite good people.

Marijuana for medical purposes is a no-brainer, even for teetotalers, prohibitionists and others of like mind except perhaps for those who do not mind or are not aware of the pain that others bear and that marijuana relieves, cheaply, safely and reliably. Marijuana has proved to be the best relief for many medical conditions, including but far from limited to the nausea that accompanies chemotherapy.

Hemp is grown and used in a variety of products in virtually every country in the world except the United States, giving "Only in America" another of several current embarrassing connotations. Hemp is used to make clothing, fabric, twine, rope, bags, paper and many other useful products, only not in America.

The Office of the National Drug Control Policy describes marijuana thus: "Short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety." In this context, it is beyond funny that this office is run out of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, but it makes one wonder what those who make the marijuana laws of America have been smoking. Whatever it is, they would do well to pay attention to the clear-minded, problem-solving democratic voters of Hailey, Idaho.

print version

Leave a Comment

There are 12 comments

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing Inc.

roy sandefur – hailey idaho

11/24/07 - 02:00

Alcohol ruined my parents
I'm bitter
Cannabis saved my brother's life
I'm grateful to GOD for it
Several city officials and judges violated ALL THE PEOPLE'S constitutional rights
In three cities
(Till The Idaho Supreme Court set them straight)
THAT's dangerous
VOTERS are dangerous
way to go voters
(he heee heeeeeeeeeee!)
oh--it's personal

-Roy Sandefur
Idaho Liberty Lobby

Don B. – Parkdale, Or.

11/21/07 - 12:34

To THC...... Please let me tell you a story about a friend that had a fine family, a home, and a great job. He gave into peer pressure and tried marijuana. Soon that's all he wanted, later his mind just couldn't function. The results were this, he lost his job, his family, and was last seen hitching his way out of town. Now you might blame the personality if you want, but as far as I could see, it was the drugs.

Reply to Don B.

Karl Stopper

11/22/07 - 21:18

To Don B...... Please let me tell you a story about a friend that had a fine family, a home, and a great job. He gave into peer and family pressure and tried alcohol. Soon that's all he wanted, later his mind just couldn't function. The results were this, he lost his job, his family, and was last seen hitching his way out of town. Now you might blame the personality if you want, but as far as I could see, it was the alcohol.

Put down that martini!

Reply to Don B.

THC

11/23/07 - 11:27

Don-
Neat story. Sounds like someone wasn't happy with his situation and needed an escape and an excuse. Drugs: perfect excuse- "everyone will understand and even possibly feel sorry for me and that it's the drugs and not my lack of ambition and unhappiness that broke up my family."
Sounds like another person not being accountable for his actions.
Sorry Don- I'm not sold.
So I'll keep loving my wife and kids, having a great career, living in this paradise and take a bong hit for your buddy.

mark

11/19/07 - 08:43

Congratulations on passing SANE marijuana laws in your city. Good luck reforming the law in your state. I live in Arcata California , where we have had LEGAL medical access to medical cannabis for 7 years, and our town is running wonderfully. We currently have 4 Medical cannabis dispensaries in town, and they are some of the largest contributors to out sales tax base. The medical cannabis dispensaries here ALL pay sales tax, plus they purchase extra cannabis from medical patients that grow marijuana, and those people pay state and federal income taxes.

Again congratulations on passing sane policy for once. Good luck passing the regulate and tax portion next time around...it would be a BOON for your local economy.

Informed Citizen – Hailey, ID

11/17/07 - 14:18

Now, this was written by someone who has taken the time to study the subject. What a great article fraught with logic and reason!

Don B.

11/16/07 - 12:20

Thank you Timothy Leary! Now all one has to do is to create a medical ache or pain and then go get high. I've seen the results of marijuana on people I've known and it's not pretty.

Reply to Don B.

THC

11/19/07 - 10:30

Really Don? What "results" have you seen that didn't have to do with whoever your speaking of's own will. The marijuana is not the problem, it's the bad choices some people make that they can't deal with- therefore they blame the "evil weed" for their problems. It's like Bill Cosby once said about drugs- "It enhances your personality- but what if you're an a-hole?" Or an idiot Don. Don't blame a plant for people being stupid.

Arne P. Ryason

11/15/07 - 21:22

It won't be legalized as long as there is money to be made cutting down trees for paper, selling the associated chemicals and other things that cannabis would compete against. Alcohol was re-legalized only after motor vehicles standardized on gasoline as a fuel. For the whole story start here: www.jackherer.com . We still have the best politicians money can buy. This must change if cannabis is to be re-legalized for its many uses.

Step one: stop buying or even picking up free newspapers! I read this one exclusively online. They should be printed on hemp paper. Hemp produces 4.1 times the cellulose, per acre, that trees produce and you only need 14 percent of the chemistry. Junk mail and other petrochemically enhanced tree paper products are the 4th largest cause of "greenhouse" gases. That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Victoria Lansford – Blackfoot

11/15/07 - 09:57

I have been a advocate for Cannabis, for the sick & dying for over 7 years now.I was put by my Doctors on hard pain meds. morphine, oxycotons and the like, THEY DONT WORK, I had no qulity of life while on those pain meds. I found that after getting your right doseing on the Cannabis, I live a Pain free life, The only side effect of the Cannabis, Is Fear of going to jail, if cought with it.I will keep up this Great Fight , that our Goverment should not be the ones Who tell us What Meds We Can use when were sick.Keep up this GREAT WORK, there are so many of us who need this Great Med. Victoria

CMAN

11/15/07 - 07:32

It is about time that the American people woke up and pulled their heads out of their asses. It is amazing how many people over 35, who should have a clue but don't. I applaud the citizens of this community for doing the right thing in gods eyes, and for America. If people knew that America was founded on hemp they would all do what this city did. God bless you for fighting the good fight! Save America and save the planet vote HEMP!

tippy

11/15/07 - 06:50

hooray for hailey! now only if the rest of idaho can get their shit together.i'm moving to hailey.