Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Harrisburg City Council's decision to tread lightly with people who smoke or possess small amounts of marijuana is a baby step.
This wasn't a step taken without caution. Six months passed between the time the idea was floated and the decision to walk forward.
The new rule says those smoking or carrying a small amount of pot in the city should receive something similar to a parking ticket. No court, no lawyers, just pay the fine.
For those who remember, this small, logical step forward is something of a leap.
Many of us grew up on the heels of "Reefer Madness." Smoking marijuana, they told us, would lead us to the brink of insanity and criminal behavior.
A lot of my generation didn't believe and chose to investigate for itself.
But that didn't stop the authorities from hunting down those who would dare defy the laws on toking.
If my memory were clearer, I could recall what year I saw the screaming headline. I was living in Lancaster, but whether or not I was still in high school remains cloudy. What I can see is the black ink streaming across the page. One or two Franklin & Marshall students had been found with marijuana. The horrors of drugs had invaded bucolic Lancaster County. No one was safe.
Lock up your daughters and lock up the smokers. That seemed like the only solution.
Imagine this: In 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared a "war on drugs," he included marijuana in a list of the most restrictive category of drugs. One hit and who knew what would happen to what was once your clean-living scholar of a son.
Still, quietly and secretly, a lot of my generation discovered firsthand that their friends who smoked pot were more likely to devour a bag of potato chips and fall asleep on the couch than launch into insane acts of violence and mayhem. Small wonder we didn't trust anyone over 30.
My generation and those that followed make the rules now. They know what pot does and doesn't do. So taking a baby step is easy.
But once again we're as hypocritical as the men our parents once put into office. It's OK to possess pot, but not too much. It's not OK to grow it and it's not OK to sell it.
So where does the small amount in some guy's pocket originate?
We put on a blindfold and pretend we don't know.
And why is it OK to have that small amount in Harrisburg but not in Penbrook or Paxtang or Susquehanna Twp., all of which border the city?
I don't mean this as criticism of City Council. What they did was a good start.
But why does it fall into the laps of folks in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to pass such laws? What's wrong with the men and women in the state Capitol? Or our elected officials in Washington?
Most of these folks grew up when I did, or later. They know what we were taught, and they know from experience it isn't true. All of us are safer in a roomful of smokers than a roomful of drunks. Drunks get angry and fight. Smokers get mellow and giggle.
It's past time for baby steps. It's past time for someone higher up to take a giant leap.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Forget 'Reefer Madness' - It's Time To Legalize Marijuana
Author: Nancy Eshelman
Contact: Central PA Local News
Photo Credit: Issei Kato
Website: Central PA Local News
This wasn't a step taken without caution. Six months passed between the time the idea was floated and the decision to walk forward.
The new rule says those smoking or carrying a small amount of pot in the city should receive something similar to a parking ticket. No court, no lawyers, just pay the fine.
For those who remember, this small, logical step forward is something of a leap.
Many of us grew up on the heels of "Reefer Madness." Smoking marijuana, they told us, would lead us to the brink of insanity and criminal behavior.
A lot of my generation didn't believe and chose to investigate for itself.
But that didn't stop the authorities from hunting down those who would dare defy the laws on toking.
If my memory were clearer, I could recall what year I saw the screaming headline. I was living in Lancaster, but whether or not I was still in high school remains cloudy. What I can see is the black ink streaming across the page. One or two Franklin & Marshall students had been found with marijuana. The horrors of drugs had invaded bucolic Lancaster County. No one was safe.
Lock up your daughters and lock up the smokers. That seemed like the only solution.
Imagine this: In 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared a "war on drugs," he included marijuana in a list of the most restrictive category of drugs. One hit and who knew what would happen to what was once your clean-living scholar of a son.
Still, quietly and secretly, a lot of my generation discovered firsthand that their friends who smoked pot were more likely to devour a bag of potato chips and fall asleep on the couch than launch into insane acts of violence and mayhem. Small wonder we didn't trust anyone over 30.
My generation and those that followed make the rules now. They know what pot does and doesn't do. So taking a baby step is easy.
But once again we're as hypocritical as the men our parents once put into office. It's OK to possess pot, but not too much. It's not OK to grow it and it's not OK to sell it.
So where does the small amount in some guy's pocket originate?
We put on a blindfold and pretend we don't know.
And why is it OK to have that small amount in Harrisburg but not in Penbrook or Paxtang or Susquehanna Twp., all of which border the city?
I don't mean this as criticism of City Council. What they did was a good start.
But why does it fall into the laps of folks in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to pass such laws? What's wrong with the men and women in the state Capitol? Or our elected officials in Washington?
Most of these folks grew up when I did, or later. They know what we were taught, and they know from experience it isn't true. All of us are safer in a roomful of smokers than a roomful of drunks. Drunks get angry and fight. Smokers get mellow and giggle.
It's past time for baby steps. It's past time for someone higher up to take a giant leap.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Forget 'Reefer Madness' - It's Time To Legalize Marijuana
Author: Nancy Eshelman
Contact: Central PA Local News
Photo Credit: Issei Kato
Website: Central PA Local News