"The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces of marijuana in their jeans simply makes no sense -- the kindest way to put it. A sterner way to put it is that it is an outrage, an imposition on basic civil liberties and on the reasonable expenditure of social energy."
That quote wasn't from a Cheech and Chong movie, or written on a sign waved by a protestor in the 1960s, but from the late conservative political columnist and National Review publisher William F. Buckley Jr.
As a farmer and father, and someone who tries his best every day to respect and obey laws, I take ballot measures seriously. Ballot Measure 2 on Alaska's general election ballot Nov. 4 is a very important issue that I encourage all voters to contemplate.
My first disclosure is that I neither smoke cigarettes nor marijuana. Secondly, I really don't want my wife or kids (when they're adults and able to do so legally) to smoke and am glad they choose not to. Third, I'm very health-conscious in diet and nutrition, and I'm unsure if marijuana, whether through edibles or by smoking, is even remotely healthy for humans. I've also learned that most things we consume or ingest are not necessarily good for us -- but we still do.
Alcohol is legal and freely poured, yet the outcry against its consumption is minimal, while the marijuana discussion seems to generate vitriol from the oddest places (Alaska Support Industry Alliance and state Chambers of Commerce opposing; clergy submitting op-eds in opposition; law enforcement associations suggesting officers need $6 million or more in "new" training to detect if someone is high from pot). In concert, these objections and atypical spokespeople make me take pause.
Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- between 2006 and 2010 there were 38,253 chronic cases of alcohol-related disease and 49,544 acute cases. Anti-pot stalwarts claim that comparing the use of marijuana to alcohol is an apples-to-oranges analysis, but it sure doesn't seem that way to me. The staggering numbers of illness and fatalities (and violence against women) caused by booze, and with the protections and defense by the trillion-dollar-per-year liquor lobby, is like David vs. Goliath when it comes to advocacy and criminalization. Pot growers, smokers and consumers don't have a chance.
As for prisons and marijuana, Rolling Stone reported the following: "About 750,000 people are arrested every year for marijuana offenses in the U.S. There's a lot of variation across states in what happens next. Not all arrests lead to prosecutions, and relatively few people prosecuted and convicted of simple possession end up in jail. Most are fined or are placed into community supervision. About 40,000 inmates of state and federal prison have a current conviction involving marijuana, and about half of them are in for marijuana offenses alone; most of these were involved in distribution."
According to the Alaska Department of Public Safety, there have been more than 8,000 arrests for marijuana possession in Alaska since 2004, which is the last time we voted on legalization. If we vote no again this year, how many more resources will be wasted fighting this failed war?
To me, that's a lot of people incarcerated. Imagine if alcohol (or, God forbid, soda pop) became illegal again. I'd venture to guess we'd have 10 times the amount of incarcerations from alcohol infractions compared to marijuana use. In 2012, there were 2,266,800 adults incarcerated in United States federal and state prisons. That's an embarrassing and disappointing statistic in and of itself.
So, in the past weeks I've heard it all. Marijuana will be used more if accessible legally. Cannabis in other forms like brownies and cookies will get in the hands of and harm children. Cops will need massive and technical training to sniff out the droves of new violators once legal (seriously?). The free-for-all of new herb addicts will skyrocket driving accidents, psychosis and paranoia, violence and lethargy, appetites and squandering of income that could be used for better purposes. And the mafia will come to town, and major drug gangs, and kids will be accessing their parents' "pot stashes" in a frenzy of dope-laden nirvana….
I don't buy it. I'm not suggesting marijuana is healthy and warranted for everyone, but I embrace the libertarian perspective our country was founded on. The idea that marijuana is "somewhat" legal through the state's Ravin decision, and the fact that medical marijuana is an option but with strict and infringing rules attached to the issuance of such a license, means it makes more sense to clearly legalize, regulate and afford citizens the right of choice and free will. The income alone is an economic benefit, and employment and new infrastructure can be added to the list of personal choice equating to more revenue and fiscal strength.
And no -- I don't smoke nor do I intend to enter the pot-selling or growing market despite the fact I'm a farmer and a businessman. I want nothing to do with marijuana. But I also don't drink Jagermeister or devour Big Gulps or smoke cigarettes or gamble at casinos or go to strip clubs or buy 2-for-1 pizzas, and that's all legal and unhealthy too.
Consider parental accountability, as you weigh your decision to vote to legalize marijuana. Shouldn't parents educate and watch over their kids like they do with other illegal and youth-prohibited substances and activities? And the thought that legalizing marijuana will stir a hornet's nest of wasted drivers and sick-days and Taco Bell line congestion ... it's nonsense.
The freedom to make our own decisions is a huge liberty for me. It matters. It's what our country was founded on more than any other reason, and it's why, as a lifelong independent, I'll be voting yes on Ballot Measure 2 this November.
Arthur Keyes owns Glacier Valley Farm in Palmer and is the founder of the South Anchorage Farmers Market. He has worked in produce all of his adult life and was once director of the Alaska State Farm Bureau. He currently serves on the board of directors for both the Palmer Soil & Water Conservation District and the Mat-Su Farm Bureau, of which he is a past president.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.