Pot: Making the Poor Poorer?

Here is a story that makes one reconsider some views.  Interestingly, I have changed my views on this subject before.  Back in the early 90s, I was opposed to the talk of legalization because the Republican Party was opposed.  There were some arguments about it being a gateway drug that sounded quite reasonable to me.  However, early in George W. Bush's presidency, I left the Republican Party.  The smaller, less-intrusive government I had expected if ever the Republicans held the House, Senate, and Presidency did not appear.  In fact, the reverse was true with a Medicare Drug benefit and a Department of Homeland Security.  It was at this point I encountered a talk radio host - Brian Wilson, I think - with strong libertarian leanings.  He pointed out that in order for the Federal Government to control alcohol, the Constitution had to be amended.  Where was the amendment for marijuana?  Cocaine?  Heroin?  He was not promoting drug use, merely demanding that the government stay within the bounds of the Constitution.  To expand those bounds requires an amendment.  Wow, that was powerful and really kind of obvious.  In fact, it was so obvious that I had to do more rethinking of my political beliefs.  After that, I was not so much for legalization as for federal decriminalization, which still has not happened.  However, the Feds have mostly ignored marijuana crimes in states that legalized it.  In the aftermath of multi-state legalization, we have some data, which is not good.  Marijuana legalization has had a disproportionate impact on the poorest citizens, increasing the likelihood that they will not escape poverty.  Is this evidence that marijuana should be recriminalized?  Perhaps.  However, I am still in favor of national decriminalization because the Constitution does not provide authority - except under the crazy interpretation of the commerce clause - to outlaw substances.  If the commerce clause wasn't good enough to use to outlaw alcohol then it isn't good enough to outlaw anything else.  Amend the Constitution or leave it to the states.  In a few more years, the data from the several states will give a much better indication of the costs and benefits of legalization.  Other states can continue to have pot illegal or not.  If states can decide on things like gambling and prostitution, why not pot?

 

People have a right to ruin their lives, just not at taxpayer expense.  Don't smoke pot.

Dope and Change

Penn Gillette, he of Penn and Teller fame, is an outspoken Libertarian and atheist.  He recently ranted on the fact that President Obama openly admitted to smoking marijuana and even doing cocaine.  Gillette wonders where Obama would be today if he had been arrested during that time and suffered the penalties for drug use that he supports as President.  Basically, if President Obama had caught teenage Obama smoking weed, that teenager would have been screwed.  Young Barack would probably not have gone to Columbia or Harvard.  It is very unlikely he would have been elected Senator or President with a criminal record.  Luckily, teenage Obama got away with his 'crime.'  Here is a clear case of It's only wrong if you get caught.

Remember back during the 2000 campaign when, the weekend before the election, it was revealed that George W. Bush had spent a night in jail for drunk driving?  That was presented as a reason why he should not be president.  Interestingly, Obama admits to driving drunk in one of his two autobiographies and yet there was nothing about that in 2008.  Remember how much effort was put into the story that Bush did cocaine and that was a big deal?  There was no proof but there were rumors.  The implication was that a man who did cocaine shouldn't be president.  And yet, Obama admitted to cocaine use in his autobiography.  No big deal.

I am not saying that Obama's drug use should be used against him at this late date.  He's been in the job so the issue should now be performance rather than youthful indiscretions.  Clearly, he managed to pull himself together and accomplish a great deal.  Everyone does stupid things when they are young but most of us eventually mature.  Eight years ago, Obama called for decriminalization of marijuana.  Today, silence.  It is one thing to call for decriminalization when you are a state senator and another thing to call for it as President.  It takes leadership and courage to do it as President.

Libertarians are too often painted as potheads on this issue which is why they would be better off avoiding it in most cases.  But with a president who was a self-identified member of the Choom Gang, it bares discussion.  If the state of Kansas or Vermont wants to make weed illegal, I have no qualms.  States have broad authority.  The federal government has a very limited scope and the legality of dope is outside of it.  As I said in a previous post, in order to outlaw alcohol, it required an amendment to the constitution.  Where is the amendment for marijuana?