Medical marijuana….It’s complicated
by Bob Killebrew
Robert Sharpe’s Jan. 24 op-ed column (“Virginia should legalize marijuana”) muddled a few things that need to be clarified. Although Sharpe is clearly passionate about the subject and works for a nonprofit that obviously supports the idea, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. California and several other states have legalized the sale of “medical” marijuana to persons who have a doctor’s prescription; the jury is still out on how that’s going to work. Some states, including Virginia, treat possession of certain levels of marijuana as a misdemeanor, rather than a felony, and collect fines instead of locking up casual users.
Sharpe seems to bounce between making it “legal” — that is, free and open possession — or simply notching down all possession charges to focus more on collecting tax revenues. I’m not sure what he favors, but the difference is profound.
Certainly the use of marijuana is widespread, but Sharpe is disingenuous when he implies that the drug is harmless. Like any drug, including alcohol, marijuana causes disorientation and other symptoms, and when abused it can be dangerous to the user and those nearby. That’s not even debatable. He is generally correct that casual use can be no more addictive than alcohol, which is harmful enough on our society, if the user is mature and careful in its use. But even alcohol is regulated, for example by age.
What would be the restrictions on marijuana, which is now being pushed by gangs at the junior high school level, and how would they be enforced? Marijuana is part of the whole “drug scene” that includes the harder stuff — cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and, yes, alcohol — to which kids are exposed. How would marijuana be kept from 14-year-olds and separated as an “OK” drug from the real heavyweights? Understanding that there are various degrees of potency, should production be licensed and inspected — as alcohol is? Or is backyard production OK? If so, where’s the tax advantage to the state? And the list goes on.
We can hope for some logical resolution to the marijuana issue (the measure didn’t last long in the General Assembly this session), but to imply that making the drug illegal is only the product of “culture warriors” is a vast and dishonest oversimplification. There are responsible steps that can be taken that recognize the popularity of the drug and still hold the line on public safety.
Source: Newport News
MJ Dispensaries, Collectives and Co-ops of Southern California 
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