The Straight Toke - THE Marijuana Blog

Justice John Paul Stevens may well be one of the most well-articulated legalization supporters we've ever heard of:

[T]he current dominant opinion supporting the war on drugs in general, and our anti-marijuana laws in particular, is reminiscent of the opinion that supported the nationwide ban on alcohol consumption when I was a student. While alcoholic beverages are now regarded as ordinary articles of commerce, their use was then condemned with the same moral fervor that now supports the war on drugs.

The above was written as part of his commentary on the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case, but it is an interesting point -- there is a startling parallel between the prohibition era and the modern-day war on drugs, the only difference being the intoxicant involved.

Justice Stevens comment is reassuring for two reasons. First, it flys in the face of over fifty years of anti-marijuana propaganda (remember "Murder, Insanity, Death!" of Reefer Madness fame?) It's good to see a public official (a well-respected one nonetheless) make a newsworthy statement such as this. Secondly, and more importantly, this comment shows that the attitude of the judicial branch of the United States is slowly changing. Since the judicial branch is the branch responsible for the enforcement of the law, it is quite likely that, were this attitude to spread, marijuana law might soon be reformed.

One final side note: marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I narcotic in the United States. This is unfortunate, since Marijuana is not a narcotic, and calling it one just lumps it in with far more dangerous drugs (opioids), thereby reinforcing the mis-conception that marijuana poses a serious medical danger (which it doesn't.) Furthermore, it is a little disconcerting to see a first-world nation giving out what are effectively life sentences for posession of a plant.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 10:36 pm and is filed under News, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.