Two seperate drug policies

Hey.

I can say controversial things here, right?

I tend to avoid writing columns touching on controversial issues, not because of some fear over political incorrectness, but to avoid contributing to the obnoxious partisanship which has consumed this campus.

That said, I want to talk for a moment about marijuana.

Yes a topic which unites even the most partisan among us, from the hallows of the Republic Club to the smoky dungeon of the Cannabis Reform Coalition.

Not.

The issue is of course a preeminent example of partisan politics fought from the fringes of the left and right with a very confused and somewhat misinformed mainstream public between those fringes.

Decriminalization. Legalization. Rehabilitation.

I'm not sure what -ation holds the proper solution to this problem, but won’t be discovered by legislators from eight different states which proposed the idea of administering random drug tests to individuals receiving welfare, food stamps, or other forms of public assistance.

If a recipient of public assistance is found to have smoked marijuana or some other controlled substance, their benefits would be revoked.

What a great idea.

Perhaps we should extend it beyond eligibility for just food stamps.

Let’s make college enrollment contingent upon a clean drug record, after all, state universities are publically funded by taxpayer dollars.

What about all those Wall Street firms receiving public assistance in the form of TARP funds and bailout money? Set up some random drug screenings outside of the AIG building in New York and marvel at the results.

Of course no legislator would ever imagine enforcement on this side of America, the educated and wealthy. Proposals such as this illustrate the divide in this country not only on drug policy, but on a whole host of issues which effectively create a set of standards and laws for one group and a separate set for another.

One would not have to look hard to find examples of low-income students barred from educational opportunities or thrown in jail for marijuana possession while Johnny Q smokes a joint with his prep school buddies while driving around the suburbs in his father’s Mercedes Benz M-Class.

I fail to envision how marijuana could be legalized in the U.S. and not result in further detriment to a society addicted to tobacco, booze, and fast food, but the maintenance of the status quo in regards to America’s drug policy is simply unacceptable.