The President took to the Internet airwaves this week to have a Q&A session on YouTube. Many viewer submitted topics largely centered on marijuana. And while he nobly remarked it should be more of a public health issue, he maintained he is against legalization.
“On drugs, I think a lot of times we’ve been so focused on arrests, incarceration, interdiction, that we don’t spend as much time thinking about how do we shrink demand” the President said.
He compared the battle for marijuana prevention to public safety movements involving seat belt usage and drinking and driving. These, he said, were handled with prevention rather than punishment. And he’s right to an extent. If something is illegal, it makes far more sense to prevent it in the first place than to spend millions and possibly billions of dollars correcting it on the back end.
While the majority of people who submitted questions to the YouTube forum likely support legalization, the Presidents points can’t be minimized. After all, how much sense does it make to fill our jails and prisons with drug offenders when the crime that got them there could’ve been prevented? Prevention should play a bigger role in combating illicit drug use.
But while his points are valid, many still believe the problem would be best solved by complete legalization. Unfortunately for those advocates, Proposition 19, the much hyped California bill to legalize marijuana fell short of passing this year, with 54% voting to keep the ban in place.
However, Proposition 19 and other legislation across the country have helped to spur a national dialogue on the rationale of the failed drug war, particularly in regards to marijuana. What was once only talked about by pot smokers and attorneys has now become a nightly dinner discussion as regular people debate openly whether or not marijuana prohibition serves more good than it does harm.
The country could be moving, inch by inch, towards legalization. But it would happen at local and state levels with the federal government constantly looming in the background. Because they seem in no rush to change federal law, possessing marijuana would still be a crime in a “legal” state if the DEA chose to seek arrests and charges.
In the meantime, marijuana laws vary greatly from state to state. Some still consider it a crime to possess a very small amount, while others simply issue a ticket. Even states that allow for medical marijuana vary greatly in their approach.
When you are facing drug charges, even the smallest variable in your case could mean the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony. Consulting with a local defense attorney will help you make sense of the charges you are facing and your potential options.
About David Matson