Wed, Nov 25 2009
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Group: Time to legalize marijuana The Joplin GlobeAt last count, she said, there were 33,047 registered voters in Joplin, so that would mean 3,305 signatures would be needed for a regular election and 4,958 for a special election. Marijuana is the fourth-largest cash crop in Missouri, according to the NORML Web site, and has a street value of about $340 million.
Twelve states, including California and New York, have decriminalized marijuana to some degree. Just under half of all states, including Kansas, require users to purchase and affix marijuana tax stamps to their contraband, although few users, if any, comply. The stamps, designed to impose taxes on illegal commerce, are primarily sought by stamp collectors. "Marijuana prohibition needlessly destroys the lives and careers of literally hundreds of thousands of good, hard-working citizens each year in this country," Maddy said. "Joplin is no exception." Also, he said, Joplin is a college town, and students face the withdrawal of federal financial aid if they are convicted of marijuana possession. But if possession of a small amount was reduced to the level of a traffic fine, he said, students would not risk loss of their financial aid. "The vast majority of marijuana smokers, like most other Americans, are good citizens who work hard, raise families, pay taxes and contribute in a positive way to the communities they live in," Maddy said. "We should reflect this reality in our city, state and federal laws, and put to rest the myth that marijuana smoking is a fringe or deviant activity engaged in only by those on the edges of our society." Maddy, a network administrator for a local company, said he smokes pot but has never been busted. Marijuana, he said, provides him a safer way to relax than using alcohol - and he doesn't have to worry about taking too much because "in recorded history, there has never been a marijuana overdose." He also said marijuana does not cause the many thousands of deaths that are associated with alcohol and tobacco. But Lindsey - who said he has never smoked any kind of cigarette, marijuana or otherwise - sees things differently. The police chief said he has never met Maddy, but he would be glad to talk to him about why he opposes decriminalization. "The department supports the DARE program, and we teach that in all 14 elementary schools," he said, referring to the federal Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. "The DARE program centers around the gateway drugs of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. These drugs generally lead to increased drug use of the so-called harder drugs, and I firmly believe that." Using marijuana, Lindsey said, is not a healthy choice. He said he believes the drug contains carcinogens and other hazards. Maddy said there is no conclusive evidence that regular use of marijuana is a health risk. He said that only a small percentage of those who try marijuana go on to use harder drugs. Lindsey said he did not know offhand how many marijuana arrests are made each year in Joplin, but said the drug is "prevalent." Maddy agreed. "It is everywhere," he said. On the Web National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws: www.norml.org. 
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