Thursday, October 21, 2004

DARE officer takes brave, if brainless, stand against decrim Decrimwatch has been hard-pressed to find many commentators openly speaking against marijuana decriminalization in Chicago or elsewhere, so we were happy to find these comments from a DARE officer in Hingham, Mass.: Hingham DARE Officer Michael Peraino is "dead set against" marijuana decriminalization. He feels it's a health issue for people of all ages - one that "trickles down to the kids." His firsthand observations of young people in Hingham "who have gotten into using marijuana as early as Grade 7" have indicated an "inability to comprehend school work and to think clearly," he said. "I don't think it's a coincidence that a number of students who have dropped out of Hingham High School were also marijuana smokers - and arrested for it."  Marijuana not only affects one's decision-making capabilities, it also affects the immune system, according to Peraino. "There's also more tar in marijuana than in cigarettes," he said. He went on to say, "We have enough trouble keeping alcohol out of the kids' hands as it is. If we make marijuana possession a civil violation, the marijuana use problem will explode because there will be no consequences and kids would likely think it worth the risk." Evaluate the validity of the officer's concerns as you will. What's fascinating to me, once again, is that the arguments used against a mild decrim proposal are basically the same arguments used against the broader legalization initiative in Alaska. Even more interesting: The arguments aren't terribly convincing in either case. 9:47:46 PM | permalink | comment [] Progress on the hemp front in Illinois We've been watching the local decrim news, but it looks like the move to bring industrial hemp to Illinois is gaining steam too. One county has formally asked the state to look into the issue. A bill to study industrial hemp was passed in Illinois a few years ago, but it was vetoed by then-Governor George Ryan. We'll see what happens this time. Over the summer I published an extensive story about how the Chicago Tribune used to grow hemp, but even that powerful institution was bullied out of the practice by the federal government. Between hemp, decrim, and medical marijuana, the time seems right for wide-ranging reform in Illinois. 9:26:06 AM | permalink | comment [] Chicago behind curve on decrim plan A story in today's Pioneer Press, a group of community newspapers in Chicago's northwest suburbs, looks at local towns that have long had local marijuana ordinances that essentially decriminalized the drug. None of the towns profiled are having any trouble with the laws, though most seem to have the discretion to go through with a full arrest if they so choose. The article closes with the always quotable Bryan Brickner of Illinois NORML explaining why he thinks decrim is a step in a right direction: "It is kind of a turning point. The conversation is a little different, and we're happy about that. For us the key thing is once we start not putting people in the criminal justice system, that's a step in the right direction. We want the police going after what we call the index crimes, theft and burglary and criminal sexual assault and all those. The ones against people and property." 9:04:51 AM | permalink | comment []

© Copyright 2004 Asthmatically Correct. Last update: 11/1/2004; 7:59:21 AM.