Editorial

Yes, please, beat Colorado

At something more important than football

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened."

--Winston Churchill

Goodness, how many proposals about marijuana could be on the ballot come November? Talk about poor choices in an election. What is it about 2016? If the presidential election might require many of us to hold our noses when we vote, if any more marijuana proposals get on the ballot in Arkansas, somebody might have to hand out gas masks at the polls. If for nothing else than to avoid contact highs.

Even the proponents of new and more liberal marijuana laws are bellyaching about the different proposals and how having multiple issues on the ballot might confuse things.

Could there be three proposed changes concerning Arkansas' marijuana laws coming in the fall? And which is which? We understand there's one proposal to legalize all use of pot in the state. And then there are a couple of efforts that would legalize pot, sorta. That is, make it legal to use marijuana for medical purposes--for now. One outfit is pushing, and we mean pushing, a initiated act, another group a constitutional amendment. As if what this state's creaking constitution needed was another amendment that made pot smoking a full-blown, or fully inhaled, right.

As canvassers for the medical marijuana outfits make their way around the state, it's not likely they'll mention some inconvenient facts. So let us. For example: 1. In other states, complete legalization of marijuana was often proceeded by medical marijuana laws. 2. Those who need the ingredients in marijuana to ease pain can get the stuff from a pharmacist in pill form. 3. Some studies in other states have shown that kids get into Aunt Sally's stash on too frequent occasions. And that can lead to other problems. They don't call maryjane a gateway drug for nothing.

Generally, we'd rather see the more honest approach. For example, the group pushing the legalization of all pot, not just the medical variety. As wrongheaded as they are, at least they're up front about it all. There's something to be said, a lot to be said, about candor.

Take Robert Reed, a backer of the constitutional amendment that would legalize the cultivation, sale, possession, use of marijuana, among other counter-productive things:

"We're definitely getting the word out," he told the press the other day. "It is a time crunch" to gather signatures, "but if the people want the farmers to plant it and our factories to get back into business and to quit importing this product from China, then it'll happen and we can beat Colorado when it comes to the industrial-medical part of it here in Arkansas."

Who knew that dope could open factories? Maybe his vision of marijuana's abilities differs from ours. But on one thing we agree: Let's beat Colorado. For many of us, that means not legalizing marijuana--in any form. If they want to hide it up in Telluride, as the song says, so be it. Arkansas can do better. And should.

Editorial on 06/24/2016

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