I have to admit, I admire Kelly Maddy.

I admire the grassroots political organizer’s commitment to the marijuana decriminalization cause and the work he has done in Joplin in support of the Sensible Sentencing Initiative.

The initiative seeks to decriminalize the possession of 35 grams of marijuana and the paraphernalia used to smoke it within the city limits of Joplin.

Now, before you flood the Globe’s comments section calling me on the carpet for being pro-pothead ... that’s not what I mean. I admire Maddy’s ability to wade into a crowd of people unfriendly to his cause, explain the petition’s aims and, maybe change their minds about his war on the war on drugs.

Mad Dog Maddy?

I had an opportunity to watch Maddy in action last Sunday afternoon while he solicited signatures for the initiative petition outside of a Joplin grocery store.

From where I stood, it looked like about half of the people he asked to sign his petition listened politely and then either inked their name or walked away with a grin of disbelief. The other half, however, were much more vocal in their opposition.

When stories concerning Maddy’s pot petition appear in the Globe, they usually illicit a wide range of opinion in our comments section online. This week was an exception. After reading the petition update stories online, a few opponents of the idea hammered out their thoughts in our comments section.

“Mad Dog Maddy ... Are you telling these people how much pot 35 grams actually is? I would estimate that is enough to make roughly 75 to 100 good-sized joints or fill a pot pipe several hundred times. It is enough to get a lot of people wasted out of their minds. I think if you get caught with 35 grams of pot you should go to prison for a long time. It’s not like you just got caught with a joint or two. That is a lot of pot.”

— exactly

“Exactly, 75 to 100 good size joints or several 100 pipe bowls? Where do you get your weed? It’s plain to see you don’t know what your talking about! lol”

— Toj

“I suppose next they’ll want to decriminalize DUI.”

— plato

“If you legalize pot, the next thing you know the dopers will want us to legalize meth and crack. Don’t open this door!”