As a Denver Post columnist from 2004-11, I spent a considerable amount of time writing pieces advocating the legalization of pot. So I was happy when Colorado became one of the first to decriminalize small amounts of “recreational” marijuana. I believe that the war on drugs is a tragically misplaced use of resources — an immoral venture that produces far more suffering than it alleviates. And on a philosophical level, I believe that adults should be permitted to ingest whatever they desire — including, but not limited to, trans fats, tobacco, cough syrup, colossal sodas and so on — as long as they live with the consequences.
You know, that old chestnut.
Unrealistic? Maybe. But less so than allowing myself to believe that human behavior can/should be endlessly nudged, cajoled and coerced by politicians.
According to The Denver Post, there are nearly 40 stores in Colorado licensed to sell “recreational” pot. Medical marijuana has been legal for more than a decade. Not surprisingly, pot stores can’t keep up with demand for a hit of recreational tetrahydrocannabinol. Outside Denver shops, people are waiting for up to five hours to buy some well-taxed and “regulated” cannabis. The pot tourists also have arrived. All this, The Denver Post estimates, will translate into $40 million of additional tax revenue in 2014 — the real reason legalization in Colorado became a reality.
The news coverage swung from mild bemusement to acting as if society were on the cusp of a major civil rights victory. For me, the entire spectacle seemed rather pathetic and anticlimactic.
The large part of my position on drugs is ideological, but some of it is familiarity. As a young person, I inhaled, yet today I can pull together the occasional lucid thought. I don’t feel as if I did anything immoral. I guess I’d have to say that I have acquaintance on a par with David Brooks (regrettably without the “uninhibited frolic”): “For a little while in my teenage years, my friends and I smoked marijuana. It was fun. I have some fond memories of us all being silly together. I think those moments of uninhibited frolic deepened our friendships.”
In the end, Brooks believes that pot use “should be discouraged more than encouraged.” That seems, in itself, to be a reasonable suggestion. Unreasonably, he believes that government should discourage use by force. I believe that communities, parents and individuals should discourage use through persuasion (and with something other than hysterical drug warrior rhetoric).
“Many people these days shy away from talk about the moral status of drug use because that would imply that one sort of life you might choose is better than another sort of life,” Brooks goes on to write. Jonah Goldberg put it better in a column, pointing out that nonjudgmentalism is part of the secular catechism. And there are few people less judgmental about your choices than a libertarian. Fortunately, you can have it both ways. I believe prostitution should be legalized but also stigmatized.
The problem is that Americans use the state as a moral compass. For libertarians, it is often frustrating to explain that advocating the decriminalization of x is not synonymous with endorsing x.
Marijuana is, for the most part, an innocuous habit. But there can be detrimental psychological and physiological effects on the human body after prolonged use. It hinders the mental capacity of people who use it excessively. No doubt, you’ve met some test subjects. Many pro-pot legalization advocates want Americans to believe that nurses, accountants, shopkeeps and local haberdashers make up the majority share of those smoking Caramelicious on weekends. Anyone who’s done any reporting on the issues understands that this is preposterous. There are hordes of stoners making a “lifestyle” choice and wasting away.
Should we criminalize slacking? No. Is it something that should be discouraged? Probably. One sort of life you choose might be better than another sort of life.
