The Slow Creep towards Weed Legalization

 Irv Rosenfeld is one of four U.S. citizens who get their medical marijuana from the federal governmentFederalism is so powerful that it can even bring progress in the intractable feild of drug reform.  This cover-story in Fortune about how medical marijuana combined with Obama's distinterest in prosecuting violators federally has led to a de facto legalization of marijuana in many states, and especially in California, is fascinating.  My favorite part is when Roger Parloff, the even handed writer and senior editor, is seduced by the lure of that sweet ganja:

I then notice a journalistic hole opening up in my reporting. Until now I had assumed that my haphazard, stale, youthful experiences with marijuana would need no refreshing in order for me to write a thorough article about medical cannabis. Now I'm not so sure.

Unfortunately, most dispensaries are intransigent about serving only California residents, and I am not one. I explain my quandary to Jacobs. Listening back upon my words as they hang in the air, I realize that it sounds as if I've just asked him to break the law. He very politely declines.

The prohibition of drugs has been an abject failure, they should all be legalized and regulated with tough rehabilitation penalties for people whose abuse leads to crime, but that is for a longer article to discuss.  In the meantime, any progress on allowing one of the most benign, safe and frequently beneficial substances to be used legally is terrific news.

Comments

[Christopher Carr]

I agree that the de facto legalization of marijuana is a step in the right direction. However, I'm not sure that the legalization of heroin is such a good idea. I'm certainly the last person to support anything restricting individual choice, however, the widespread, sudden legalization of drugs is at odds with the public health zeitgeist (+10 points!). The argument that illegal activities are dangerous because they're illegal makes sense, because unsavory elements usually take control and there is an incentive for secrecy. This argument works for something like prostitution or even arms dealing. However, in the case of hardcore drugs, it is the drug itself that is dangerous. Think of how many young people struggle with learning the rudiments of drinking alcohol. Could you imagine sane, experienced parents firmly, yet lovingly lecturing their children on how too much crystal meth could make their teeth fall out? And how using crystal meth in moderation is a good path forward? While I am largely sympathetic towards individuals learning from their own choices and mistakes, perhaps it is the father in me that has recently caused me to change my mind on this one. Recently, I have also come to realize that you can't have public healthcare AND legalized drugs. You must choose one, just as recent circumstances are showing that you can't have a generous welfare state AND a liberal immigration policy. Americans can't even eat propely. Heart disease killed 400,000 people last year. We can't resist cupcakes. How will we ever handle the nectar of the gods that is cocaine? Everytime a teenager ODs, he'll be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, cut in line, and be brought back to life for free. This essentially amounts to giving away our resources to people who have not contributed and is the way nations are bankrupted. We cannot have it both ways. We can either be given everything and told what to do like children or learn from our own mistakes freely like adults.