Confession 5.0

I believe that certain amounts of marijuana possession should be legal.

The city of Denver passed a law stating that a certain amount of marijuana is not punishable (I can't remember the amount, and I am too lazy to go look). I think that's an excellent idea and one that the entire country should use.

Why do we have rules on how much alcohol a person can drink and not be illegal (provided they do not drive), but we can't on marijuana? Are they really that much different? Having tried marijuana for the first time at the tender age of 32 (yeah - that's a whole 'nother Oprah show) I can say that it really isn't that much different than being pretty darn drunk. I would never recommend driving while high, but I think that a person who is pulled over for speeding or something and is arrested for having a tiny blunt in their car that isn't even smoked is past it's time.

We complain about having to pay more taxes to build more jails - I think changes in our possession of marijuana laws would help out a bit. Typical POM cases don't spend too much time in jail, but it's a start. It might free a few beds for the really bad criminals out there. Also, why not make less than 2 ounces a Class C misd., like a speeding ticket. Make them pay a fine instead of sending them to jail. Make them pay the county, instead of the county paying for them. Get me?

It just seems pretty hypocritical that alcohol is legal to a certain level but marijuana isn't. Walking home shit faced drunk will get you a class C ticket. But walking home with a joint in your pocket will get you time in jail. Even if you haven't smoked it.

Now, I'm no pot head. I've smoked it exactly twice in my entire life, and I don't have any plans to do it again. But I hope that one day, perhaps our generation will see that legalizing certain amounts of marijuana is a smart way to go to free up the criminal justice system and to create money for local government instead of continually costing everyone.