From The Rocky Mountain News:
A measure that would legalize adult possession of small amounts of marijuana in Denver was approved by voters Tuesday, following a heated campaign that saw pot backers accused of exploiting residents' fear of crime.
The measure was leading by more than 7,000 votes with just over 100,000 votes counted when the Rocky Mountain News called the contest.
The central theme of Initiative 100, the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative, is that adults should have the right to legally choose marijuana, because it's a safer alternative to booze, which supporters argue — citing national and local studies — fuels violence, deadly car wrecks, collegiate binge-drinking and alcoholism.
Those who continue to oppose the outright legalization of marijuana do so out of sheer ignorance. The absurd notion that an adult's use of marijuana will cause them to become heroin addicts and other such nonsense is a dissemblance that needs to fade into posterity. It's right up there with the horrible claim that blacks are biologically and intellectually inferior to whites or the claim that masturbation will lead to hairy palms, blindness, and insanity.
It's time we grew up as a society. It's time we stopped wasting our resources on the persecution of those who would smoke a joint. It's time we have a national discussion on priorities.
If we want to be "tough on drugs", then perhaps we should be doing something about the real drug problem in this country. Perhaps we should focus all of our time an attention on methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a killer. the mere production of meth is dangerous because of the volatile chemicals used. Kids die because of meth. Adults die because of meth. Lives are destroyed by meth.
Let's hope this spark in Denver ignites a fire of awareness and a reorientation of our national priorities. Don't hold your breath though. (It will keep you from finishing your joint.)
-The Oklahoma Hippy
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