Legalize marijuana
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on May 31 documents the growth of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil, and the deaths of more than 100 people already this year due to drug overdoses (“Fentanyl adds deadly kick to heroin — and big profits for drug dealers”).
None of those deaths is due to marijuana — in fact, it is nearly impossible for anyone to overdose on marijuana. Common sense indicates that police should focus on opiates and other very dangerous drugs.
Another article in the same Journal Sentinel issue indicates that a bill to decriminalize “some pot possession” has been introduced in the Legislature (“Bill decriminalizes some pot possession”).
This falls far short of what we need: full police focus on truly dangerous drugs, while no police time goes toward control of the safest intoxicant, marijuana.
As a scientist and psychologist, I have studied the professional literature on abusable drugs since 1970. Marijuana was legal until the 1930s, and the American Medical Association testified before Congress that it should remain legal because of its many medical uses. Twenty-nine states have now legalized medical marijuana, and Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada, Washington state, and the District of Columbia, and all of Canada, have legalized recreational marijuana use. Colorado collected more than $100 million in taxes on marijuana last year, which has gone to schools, infrastructure repairs, and other essential uses.
Wisconsin needs to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, legalizing it — and to use taxes on marijuana to lower other taxes on Wisconsinites while improving our roads, schools and other urgent needs. Marijuana is far safer than is alcohol, but the same model can be used for marijuana sales as is used for alcohol sales, so legalization can be accomplished quickly.
Driving while intoxicated on alcohol or other drugs should remain illegal. To help people who need medical marijuana, to fund essential improvements in schools and infrastructure and to focus police attention on the most dangerous drugs, Wisconsin needs to legalize marijuana as soon as possible.
Andrew W. Kane, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Milwaukee