Double standard persists on marijuana

Miami Herald ^ | June 04, 2007 | LYDIA MARTIN AND FRED TASKER

[cryptical]

At a recent backyard barbecue in Miami's Upper Eastside, a group of middle-age, middle-class folks tamely sipped berry cocktails and beers. Among them: a couple of lawyers, a couple of city administrators and an arts administrator. Somewhere between the skirt steak and the apple pie, somebody lit a joint and passed it around.

Nobody blinked. Even in mainstream, white-collar settings, smoking marijuana can be commonplace and unremarkable, like having a little wine with dinner.

Once a stamp of the arty, the marginal and the counterculture, today marijuana's popularity cuts across social boundaries. Yet several high-profile marijuana arrests have recently made headlines, highlighting the hazy double standard that exists around an illegal, potentially harmful drug that continues to encroach into the mainstream:

• In March, Lawrence Korda, 59, a Broward Circuit Court judge, was charged with openly smoking marijuana in a park in Hollywood. Korda completed a drug and alcohol program to erase the misdemeanor charge, and must take monthly random drug tests for six months and perform 25 hours of community service.

• Last month, Utpal Dighe, 31, a prosecutor in the Miami-Dade state attorney's office, was fired after police charged him with buying marijuana from a street dealer in Coconut Grove.

• Also last month, Ricky Williams, 30, erstwhile superstar running back for the Dolphins, probably ended his Miami career by testing positive for marijuana for the fifth time.

For good or ill, people from all walks smoke weed. In fact, 40.1 percent of all Americans 12 years old and up admit having tried marijuana at least once -- and 6 percent acknowledge having used it in the past month, federal drug surveys show. The FBI says 786,500 people were arrested for it in 2005, the latest figures available.

One group at least modestly turning away from marijuana is middle- and high-schoolers, ages 12 to 17. The percentage who have used pot at least once dropped from more than 20 percent in 2000 to about 17 percent in 2005, federal researchers say.

''I don't know if more people are smoking or more people are admitting it,'' said Betsy Wise, a Miami stand-up comic. Wise recently started to freelance for a New York ad agency. She confided in a co-worker that a friend was delivering pot brownies to the office -- and told him to help himself.

''When I got to the agency, all but a few of the brownies were gone,'' Wise said. ``Pretty much everyone partook, right in the office. They all greeted me with smiles. I thought that was remarkable. I would have expected maybe one or two people would have been simpatico.''

More and more, weed is cropping up in the popular culture. It isn't just the domain of hip-hop records with parental-guidance labels. On cable-TV shows like Six Feet Under,The Sopranos,Entourage and The L Word, characters have sparked up casually, the way they might sip merlot, without their marijuana use being part of any plot development or morality tale.

And it isn't just cable. On ABC's Brothers & Sisters, Sally Field's character gets high. The kids on That '70s Show often emerged from clouds of funny smoke.

GOING UPSCALE

''I think there is more of a laissez-faire attitude these days about smoking pot,'' said Jenji Kohan, creator of Showtime's Weeds, about a mother who sells marijuana to make ends meet after her husband dies unexpectedly. 'One of the things that I find interesting is that there are boutique farms that are really into their strains. It reminds me of when wine started to become really popular and people started talking about this vine and that grape. Marijuana has become more upscale. In L.A., dealers have full menus of `unique teas.' ''

Not that marijuana use is a function of wealth.

For $20 on the street, a buyer can score one-eighth ounce of low-grade marijuana from Mexico, Belize or Jamaica -- enough for four or five cigarettes. For $800, the connoisseur can acquire an ounce of exotic, extra-potent marijuana grown from modern hybrids in hydroponic labs or special soil indoors in ''grow-houses'' from Pompano Beach to Coral Gables, said James Hall, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Substance Abuse at Nova Southeastern University.

''It's like wine; you can buy an expensive one or you can buy the jug stuff,'' Hall said.

The truth is, for all of the marijuana possession arrests, police often look the other way, or let smokers go with friendly warnings.

At a Snoop Dogg concert at a Fort Lauderdale club a while back, a uniformed officer stood by unflinchingly as Snoop, and dozens in the audience, sent up telltale clouds.

''It's selective enforcement,'' said Miami musician Todd Thompson, who doesn't have a problem admitting that he gets high. ``At Langerado [a Broward outdoor music festival], there was smoking going on everywhere. I wouldn't do it in front of a cop, just in case. But cops don't always do something about a little marijuana smoke.''

Marijuana laws are a mishmash among the 50 states. It isn't entirely legal anywhere, but 12 states have at least partly decriminalized it, to the point that in Alaska there is no penalty for possessing an ounce or less at home.

In Florida, possession of 20 grams or less -- 28 grams would be an ounce -- is a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine; having more than 20 grams is a felony worth five years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Over the decades, debate about whether marijuana should be legalized has remained lively.

Said Howard Finkelstein, Broward County public defender and legal guru of the ''Help Me Howard'' segment on WSVN-Fox 7: 'We're making war on our own people. We take good fathers and lawyers and doctors and wives and make them outlaws. We're playing a stupid and harmful game of `gotcha.' ''

Some support for legalization comes from the belief that it's not dangerous to health, says Dr. J. Bryan Page, professor of anthropology and psychiatry and an expert on substance abuse in the University of Miami Department of Psychiatry.

''A student I knew claimed to be part of a group who all had grade-point averages over 3.6 who were very regular users,'' he said. 'She wanted me to study them to counter all the `Just say no' stuff.''

White House drug czar John Walters, not surprisingly, sees it differently. In April, his office released an analysis from the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project that said the level of THC -- the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana -- has more than doubled since 1983, from 4 percent to 8.5 percent.

`WAKE-UP CALL'

''This new report serves as a wake-up call for parents who may still hold outdated notions about the harms of marijuana,'' his announcement said.

The increased potency is from the exotic new hybrids and sophisticated indoor growing techniques, says Nova Southeastern's Hall.

Marijuana-related emergency-room visits increased from 45,000 in 1995 to 119,000 in 2002, the most recent comparison available, federal drug officials say.

Added Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse: ``Science has shown that marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional and behavioral changes, and -- contrary to popular belief -- it can be addictive.''

Norman Kent, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer and board member of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, scoffed: ``More people died last year from eating spinach than smoking pot.''

[Sarvana]

So you think vomiting or urinating in the street does not harm anyone? Or does your definition of harm only include hurting someone physically? If so do you think that someone killing himself does not harm their family and friends? Or that the Westboro Baptist Church does not harm anyone by picketing funerals? I’m going to assume that you want activities to be legal that the majority thinks are ok to be legal. If so, why do you consider people in a state or city voting to decriminalize marijuana as mob rule?

[goldstategop]

I favor legalizing it and letting society deciding whether smoking pot is good or not. Just keep the cops out of the debate.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[robertpaulsen]

"So you think vomiting or urinating in the street does not harm anyone?"

Not directly, no. Indirectly, maybe.

But people smoking pot harm others indirectly, just as suicides and those who picket funerals. That's why we have laws against those activities.

YOU are the one who suggested we use a different standard. YOU are the one who suggested we limit our laws to those activities that actually harm others.

As I then skillfully pointed out, that would open the door to a variety of activities that are rude, offensive, disgusting, insulting, and shocking -- but not harmful.

"If so, why do you consider people in a state or city voting to decriminalize marijuana as mob rule?"

Another poster coined the phrase as applicable to voter-driven initiatives. Referendums are essentially a pure democracy, something the Founding Fathers abhorred.

They, and I, prefer a representative republic, allowing legislatures to draft and pass laws with the approval of their constituents.

[Sarvana]

But people smoking pot harm others indirectly

Ok, if I smoke pot in my home, do not come to work or even go out of the house stoned, and do not mention my pot smoking to anyone, how on earth have I harmed anyone directly or indirectly?

They, and I, prefer a representative republic, allowing legislatures to draft and pass laws with the approval of their constituents.

This from the same man who thinks people in state legislatures who voted yes on medical marijuana should be executed.

[robertpaulsen]

"Ok, if I smoke pot in my home, do not come to work or even go out of the house stoned, and do not mention my pot smoking to anyone, how on earth have I harmed anyone directly or indirectly?"

Are you describing the average pot smoker? Come on. You set up a hypothetical that has no connection to reality.

Drug users are a drain on society. They steal and prostitute to support their habit. They use city services such police, ambulance, emergency room, shelter, and food. They are a bad influence and example for the next generation.

Why in the world are you asking people to go to the polls and vote to legalize this activity so we can have more of it? With the added benefit of sending the massage to teens that drug use isn't so bad after all -- hey, it's legal!

There is no good reason to legalize marijuana. We gain nothing.

"This from the same man who thinks people in state legislatures who voted yes on medical marijuana should be executed."

They violated their oath of office. They violated the U.S. Constitution. They committed sedition against the federal government. Hang 'em high.

[jmc813]

Are you describing the average pot smoker? Come on. You set up a hypothetical that has no connection to reality. Drug users are a drain on society. They steal and prostitute to support their habit. They use city services such police, ambulance, emergency room, shelter, and food. They are a bad influence and example for the next generation.

I'm convinced that you've never seen a stoned person in real life.

[Sarvana]

Are you describing the average pot smoker? Come on. You set up a hypothetical that has no connection to reality.

Drug users are a drain on society. They steal and prostitute to support their habit. They use city services such police, ambulance, emergency room, shelter, and food. They are a bad influence and example for the next generation.

I think you are just plain making stuff up. I would be willing to bet that a large percentage of people you know smoke pot but you would never know. The only reason you assume that all drug users are a drain on society is because the only ones you notice are the ones who are.

Why in the world are you asking people to go to the polls and vote to legalize this activity so we can have more of it? With the added benefit of sending the massage to teens that drug use isn't so bad after all -- hey, it's legal!

Let me bring up alcohol again. By having it legal for adults we send the message to teens that getting drunk is not so bad. And don't tell me that adults only drink alcohol for the taste. Almost everyone who drinks wants to at least get a buzz from drinking, or else why would prohibition have been such a big deal? The same goes for tobacco. What on earth do we gain by having the most addictive and one of the most dangerous substances legal besides easy tax revenue?

They violated their oath of office. They violated the U.S. Constitution. They committed sedition against the federal government. Hang 'em high.

I hope they do start doing that. You know as well as I do that that would result in an armed uprising that would make the whisky rebellion look like a quiet protest.

[robertpaulsen]

"I'm convinced that you've never seen a stoned person in real life."

Hah!

[jmc813]

I’m just saying that I’ve never heard of anybody stealing or whoring themselves for pot. Ever.

[robertpaulsen]

"I would be willing to bet that a large percentage of people you know smoke pot but you would never know."

I sincerely doubt it. Even if they did, it's irrelevant. Some people I know may do heroin or cocaine -- it doesn't mean I should vote to legalize those drugs.

"By having it legal for adults we send the message to teens that getting drunk is not so bad."

Not quite. By having it legal for adults we send the message to teens that drinking isn't so bad. We tried to ban alcohol once and that didn't work. We need to find other ways to discourage teen use.

"And don't tell me that adults only drink alcohol for the taste."

Most do. I believe the combined number of alcohol abusers and alcoholics is around 10%.

"The same goes for tobacco. What on earth do we gain by having the most addictive and one of the most dangerous substances legal besides easy tax revenue?"

Tobacco may be banned in 10 years. Will that make you happy? Geez Louise. You're putting marijuana in the same category as alcohol and tobacco -- two substances that are part of our history and our culture. What's next, teaching the Koran?

"You know as well as I do that that would result in an armed uprising that would make the whisky rebellion look like a quiet protest."

Nah. They'd only have to hang one, maybe two, before the legislators realized the federal government was serious. The state medical marijuana laws would be repealed in a week.

[robertpaulsen]

"I’m just saying that I’ve never heard of anybody stealing or whoring themselves for pot. Ever."

And the Hollywood elites don't understand how George Bush was elected President when no one they know voted for him.

[Sarvana]

We tried to ban alcohol once and that didn't work.

And you think that banning marijuana is working? Even you admit that teens use marijuana at a higher rate than they use tobacco or alcohol. It looks like "we need to find other ways to discourage teen use" for marijuana as well.

You're putting marijuana in the same category as alcohol and tobacco -- two substances that are part of our history and our culture. What's next, teaching the Koran?

So because I believe marijuana should be legalized I'm an islamofascist? Besides, did you know George Washington smoked marijuana to alleviate the pain in his teeth? Looks like Americans have been using marijuana a lot longer than you thought.

[robertpaulsen]

"And you think that banning marijuana is working?"

Uh, yeah. Marijuana use has been relatively flat for the last 15 years. In the last few years it's been up slightly due to the decriminalization and "medical" marijuana propaganda efforts by the pro-legalization crowd.

"So because I believe marijuana should be legalized I'm an islamofascist?

Well, you're saying, "If alcohol and tobacco, why not marijuana?" I'm waiting for, "If the Bible, why not the Koran?"

"Besides, did you know George Washington smoked marijuana to alleviate the pain in his teeth?"

And he kept slaves, too. You have a point?

[Sarvana]

And he kept slaves, too. You have a point?

I thought I made my point clear, but I will state it again. You claimed that marijuana had no part in American culture until very recently and I gave evidence that there was marijuana use even before we ended slavery. You justify alcohol and tobacco use by saying that Americans have been using them for hundreds of years, and I stated that by that logic marijuana should be legal as well.

Well, you're saying, "If alcohol and tobacco, why not marijuana?" I'm waiting for, "If the Bible, why not the Koran?"

That is a pretty lame argument even by drug warrior standards. It is not illegal to read the Koran now. You won't go to jail if you are caught reading the Koran in public, there is no such thing as the Koran Enforcement Agency, and unless you go to a private school you are not going to be taught anything from the Bible anyway. What on earth does this have to do with anything we are discussing?

And just out of sheer curiosity, can you give any explanation as to why your graph shows nothing but an increase in the number of people who have ever used marijuana?

[robertpaulsen]

"and I gave evidence that there was marijuana use even before we ended slavery"

Hemp was grown during colonial times, yes. George Washinmgton may have used a tincture of cannabis on his teeth, yes. It's ludicrous to conclude that smoking marijuana for recreational use, therefore, was part of our history or culture.

"And just out of sheer curiosity, can you give any explanation as to why your graph shows nothing but an increase in the number of people who have ever used marijuana?"

I don't know. I don't care. It's a useless statistic -- if you try marijuana at least once in your lifetime, you make the graph. Given the experimental nature of people, I'm surprised it isn't higher.

I consider a marijuana user to be one who uses marijuana at least once a month. That's the red line.

[cryptical]

See my post #75.

That's not a citation, that's an allusion.

Hint: Relying on talking points assembled by others is a sign of a weak position.

[bird4four4]

Are you describing the average pot smoker? Come on.

Inability to answer the question noted:

They steal and prostitute to support their habit

Evidence of someone prostituting for pot please? Are you describing the average pot smoker?

They are a bad influence and example for the next generation.

Excelent point. If the next generation sees pot smokers sleeping in the gutters, it will be a powerful example for them to steer clear of such a pathway. Gee but what if they find a couple of lawyers, a couple of city administrators and an arts administrator that smokes it, what then?

[Oberon]

Most quit smoking marijuana by their late 20's, early 30's. Even among marijuana users, these clowns are oddballs.

I've known a few similar oddballs, then...folks-next-door, solid 50-ish hard-working types who smoked on the weekends.

[Oberon]

Of course, people don’t smoke joints like they do cigarettes, but that’s because they are illegal and expensive.

I don't think that's quite the reason. Can you imagine a two-pack-a-day joint smoker? He'd be incapable of speech. That level of consumption would render the user utterly useless even to himself.

[robertpaulsen]

"That's not a citation, that's an allusion."

There was such a study. It showed teen use to be double. The citizens believed it and passed a voter-driven initiative to criminalize marijuana.

You don't want to believe it so you find excuses not to. Classic cognitive dissonance.