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The Lehigh Valley's top law enforcement officials say they agree with Gov. Tom Corbett when it comes to decriminalizing marijuana for recreational use.
There's not enough to gain and too much at risk in eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession, say Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.
"I don't think it's a good idea to legalize it for recreational use and introduce it to a whole group of people who don't use it now," Morganelli said Wednesday.
Both Martin and Morganelli said they're more open to the use of pot for medical purposes. In the 20 states that have legalized medical marijuana, it can be prescribed to treat pain, nausea, glaucoma and a number of other maladies.
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"If you could show me someone in a hospital who gets some relief from smoking a joint, God bless 'em," Martin said.
But Corbett, who was previously Pennsylvania's tough-on-drugs attorney general, said he would veto a bill even if it limited marijuana use to medical purposes, a spokesman said.
"He believes that smoking marijuana is a crime, should remain a crime and that marijuana is a gateway drug," spokesman Kevin Harley said.
The renewed discussion of legal marijuana in Pennsylvania comes after a state senator who sponsored a failed bill to legalize the drug for medical use said he will reintroduce the legislation as well as a measure to decriminalize pot next session.
Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, compared the debate over legalization to that over gay marriage, saying that once enough states legalize marijuana, "all of the horror stories" put forth by opponents will be revealed as false.
But the politics of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania are complicated. And although Colorado and Washington made history last month by voting to make their states the first in America where it is legal to possess small amounts of pot for personal use, Pennsylvania is unlikely to follow anytime soon, one pundit said.
Although a 2010 poll showed that 80 percent of Pennsylvania voters favor the legalization of medical marijuana and one-third supported legalizing the drug outright, Pennsylvania is home to a cultural conservatism that keeps such issues off the floor of the Legislature, said Franklin & Marshall College political science professor G. Terry Madonna.
Even Ed Rendell, a liberal Democrat, never took a stance on legalizing marijuana while he was governor, and without strong advocacy from party leaders, Leach's bills are highly unlikely to get much support, Madonna said.
He added that Corbett's promise to veto any bill decriminalizing marijuana was a message to dissuade minority leaders in the Republican-controlled House and Senate from taking up the issue. Party leaders are reluctant to have their members vote on a controversial bill that has no chance of success because it would become a point of criticism in the next election, Madonna said.
Leach's bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana died in the Senate public health and welfare committee after it was referred there last spring. Similar House legislation by Philadelphia Democrat Mark Cohen in the last two sessions met the same fate.
Chris Goldstein, a board member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he believes marijuana has long been wrongly classified as a dangerous drug. He cites studies that suggest it is less damaging to the human body than legal substances including alcohol and can be used to help people hooked on prescription pain killers kick their addictions.
He also pointed to evidence debunking the theory that marijuana use leads to experimentation with more dangerous and addictive substances.
"Kids will tell you it's a gateway to Doritos and Haagen-Dazs," Goldstein said.
He said Corbett's adherence to the outdated gateway theory is worrisome because he appears to be out of touch with policy changes around the country to eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana use and possession.
But Morganelli and Martin said they don't believe any good would come from legislation to allow recreational use of marijuana.
"I don't think we need more dopers running around. We have enough people who are using drugs," Morganelli said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mcall.com
Author: Peter Hall
Contact: The Morning Call: Staff Listings - mcall.com
Website: PA attempt to legalize pot - mcall.com
There's not enough to gain and too much at risk in eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession, say Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.
"I don't think it's a good idea to legalize it for recreational use and introduce it to a whole group of people who don't use it now," Morganelli said Wednesday.
Both Martin and Morganelli said they're more open to the use of pot for medical purposes. In the 20 states that have legalized medical marijuana, it can be prescribed to treat pain, nausea, glaucoma and a number of other maladies.
» The latest on traffic, delays and road construction delivered to your mobile phone. Click to sign up to receive text alerts!
"If you could show me someone in a hospital who gets some relief from smoking a joint, God bless 'em," Martin said.
But Corbett, who was previously Pennsylvania's tough-on-drugs attorney general, said he would veto a bill even if it limited marijuana use to medical purposes, a spokesman said.
"He believes that smoking marijuana is a crime, should remain a crime and that marijuana is a gateway drug," spokesman Kevin Harley said.
The renewed discussion of legal marijuana in Pennsylvania comes after a state senator who sponsored a failed bill to legalize the drug for medical use said he will reintroduce the legislation as well as a measure to decriminalize pot next session.
Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, compared the debate over legalization to that over gay marriage, saying that once enough states legalize marijuana, "all of the horror stories" put forth by opponents will be revealed as false.
But the politics of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania are complicated. And although Colorado and Washington made history last month by voting to make their states the first in America where it is legal to possess small amounts of pot for personal use, Pennsylvania is unlikely to follow anytime soon, one pundit said.
Although a 2010 poll showed that 80 percent of Pennsylvania voters favor the legalization of medical marijuana and one-third supported legalizing the drug outright, Pennsylvania is home to a cultural conservatism that keeps such issues off the floor of the Legislature, said Franklin & Marshall College political science professor G. Terry Madonna.
Even Ed Rendell, a liberal Democrat, never took a stance on legalizing marijuana while he was governor, and without strong advocacy from party leaders, Leach's bills are highly unlikely to get much support, Madonna said.
He added that Corbett's promise to veto any bill decriminalizing marijuana was a message to dissuade minority leaders in the Republican-controlled House and Senate from taking up the issue. Party leaders are reluctant to have their members vote on a controversial bill that has no chance of success because it would become a point of criticism in the next election, Madonna said.
Leach's bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana died in the Senate public health and welfare committee after it was referred there last spring. Similar House legislation by Philadelphia Democrat Mark Cohen in the last two sessions met the same fate.
Chris Goldstein, a board member of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said he believes marijuana has long been wrongly classified as a dangerous drug. He cites studies that suggest it is less damaging to the human body than legal substances including alcohol and can be used to help people hooked on prescription pain killers kick their addictions.
He also pointed to evidence debunking the theory that marijuana use leads to experimentation with more dangerous and addictive substances.
"Kids will tell you it's a gateway to Doritos and Haagen-Dazs," Goldstein said.
He said Corbett's adherence to the outdated gateway theory is worrisome because he appears to be out of touch with policy changes around the country to eliminate criminal penalties for marijuana use and possession.
But Morganelli and Martin said they don't believe any good would come from legislation to allow recreational use of marijuana.
"I don't think we need more dopers running around. We have enough people who are using drugs," Morganelli said.
News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: mcall.com
Author: Peter Hall
Contact: The Morning Call: Staff Listings - mcall.com
Website: PA attempt to legalize pot - mcall.com
