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Editorial
Keeping politics, emotion out of marijuana debate
Thursday, March 5, 2015
While the Nebraska Legislature considers legalization of marijuana for medical use, Nebraska, Kansas and even Colorado sheriffs are suing the State of Colorado over the state's 2012 legalization of marijuana for recreational use.
County attorneys from Kansas and Nebraska have joined in the suit, which says the law violates federal law and shouldn't be permitted.
Nebraska and Oklahoma have already appealed to the U.S. Supremem Court to strike down Colorado's legalization of pot, and a group of Colorado citizens have filed their own federal challenge, saying marijuana reduces property values.
Proponents of legalized marijuana, for whatever reason, say that laws prohibiting the drug only increase its popularity and profits for producers and traffickers. The War on Drugs, they say, was created by politicians seeking votes by being tough on crime.
They say creating legal supplies of the drug will lower the cost and not increase the demand, while opening up new sources of revenue.
They point to alcohol, tobacco and even junk food as legal products that are more harmful to the public than marijuana.
Opponents say the state should not be involved in the distrubution of substances much of the population considers to be harmful or immoral, and making drugs more easily available would create more consumers.
Drugs are addictive, they say, rob the user of free will and prevent users from making an informed and rational decision about their use or many other activities.
Marijuana is a gateway drug, and its legalization sends the wrong message to children, that drug use is acceptable.
It is impossible to separate politics and emotion from the debate over marijuana for either recreational or medical use, but that it what we must do.
While there are few pharmaceutical companies promoting the medical use of marijuana, a way should be found to allow it to stand or fall on its actual merits.
Applying the same standards to recreational marijuana, however, would be next to impossible. In that case, the costs and benefits of enforcing today's marijuana laws would have to carry more weight.
In the mean time, the federal government should take the lead to prevent spillover problems resulting from Colorado's law.