Concordia res Parvae Crescunt
by Steve Visser, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
David Clark looks pretty normal. His smile is soft, his eyes are friendly, his voice is measured and his goatee is trimmed.
He may be a radical but he certainly isn’t wide-eyed.
The Sugar Hill lawyer is the Georgia face of a growing national movement to make marijuana legal. And if he can’t make it legal, then at least wants it viewed as no worse than breaking the speed limit.
And while many Georgians may view that as the latest example of liberalism run amuck, for Clark and his allies, it is the marijuana laws that are crazy.
I think we would be a lot better off if marijuana was the drug of choice rather than alcohol,” he said. “There would be a lot less violence, a lot fewer traffic fatalities and people wouldn’t be ruining their lives… . Marijuana is a wonderful drug.”
Clark, 49, is the executive director of the state chapter of NORML — The National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws — which was incorporated last month to make state laws more bud friendly. The organization is officially against minors smoking pot.
He notes that national polls show growing support for legalization and a majority of Americans support making marijuana available for medical treatment. Last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged a study on legalizing pot.
Look, we have a black president and gay marriage is legal in Iowa,” Clark said. “Anything is possible.”
Clark doesn’t see the legislature legalizing recreational use — “This is Georgia” — but he does hold out hope for medicinal use and for decreasing the penalties, which could lead to wider legalization.
At least 13 states — from Alaska to Vermont — have legalized marijuana for medical use, which is still a violation of federal law, although some people are skeptical if it is being prescribed legitimately.
Jack Killorin, director of a federally funded task force that targets drug trafficking in the Atlanta area, said many of the prescriptions for marijuana — said to be helpful in treating glaucoma and for increasing the appetite of AIDS patients — were suspect.
There seems to be a great deal of chicanery going on — I’ve got a hang nail, you need about eight grams a day,” said Killorin.
Atlanta Police Sgt. Scott Krehir said officers often turn a blind eye to marijuana use unless it creates a problem in public. Officers often view it as largely harmless and see more problems with alcohol, he said.
Officers are given discretion,” said Krehir, a police union chapter president. “It is like if you stopped somebody who was walking to a Braves game with a beer in his hand. That is illegal but do I put that person in jail?”
But people do go to jail for simple possession, either for a misdemeanor or for a felony, if the amount is more than a ounce. Clark said the current laws only underscore the unfairness and hypocrisy of a public policy that largely tolerates marijuana use but sends some people to jail while others are let go.
Right now, fines for marijuana possession can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. In some jurisdictions, possessing relatively small amounts can lead to jail time, said Bruce Harvey, a defense lawyer who handles many drug cases.
If a person is arrested with more than an ounce, it will mean an felony indictment, the lawyer said.
I think those attitudes are changing,” Harvey said. “A lot of the jurors I have experienced even in rural counties say they don’t believe small amounts of marijuana should be illegal.”
That may be because so many people have smoked marijuana — or know people who have smoked it. A 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study found that 4.6 million Americans 35 and older said they had used the drug in the past month while 62 million said they used it in their lifetime.
Rick Malone, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council of Georgia, said few prosecutors would oppose decriminalization but suspected few legislators would want to take on the issue.
You’re not going to get anyone to repeal the marijuana laws because they don’t want the political heat but if you got them in a back room and asked about their use in their youth, you might be surprised at the result,” Malone said. “When I was a district attorney in South Georgia, I asked job applicants about their past use of controlled substances. I soon quit asking that question. I wasn’t going to find too many people who had gone through high school, college and law school who hadn’t puffed on a marijuana cigarette.”
The most recent state controversy about marijuana came last month at the University of Georgia, when a student chapter of NORML was placed on probation for selling shirts bearing the image of a bulldog smoking a joint while reading a book on human rights.
The university claimed copyright infringement. The student group is appealing.
So far the state chapter is small — just over 50 people — but Clark claims it growing each week just by word of mouth. Meanwhile, he said, he will continue to respect Georgia laws and reserve his cannabis indulgence for trips to the Netherlands, where it is legal, or to the Caribbean, where police seldom make arrests.
I started smoking pot as a teenager, when I was 14 years old,” Clark said. “I don’t smoke marijuana very much today. I just feel strongly that there shouldn’t be laws against it.”
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well if you want to think somebody for pot being illegal think Harry Jacob Anslinger. Because of him we have it mostly illegal in the world and it was his idea to use the state and local police to arrest people for it, which is a violation of fedral law.
alcohol is the true gateway drug. Propaganda poisons the mind of the many, to believe that MJ is evil. It,s OK to take antidepressants or any of the dozens of new drugs that causes more side affects the what they claim to cure. I remember when we were told that butter and sugar were dad for us but margarine and nutrasweet was the way to go. Out with the natural and in with the artificial. that's BS to me. they don't want u to do your drugs, they want u to do their drugs. Let them make alcohol illegal again and watch what happens. these r just the rambling thoughts of an uneducated pothead. legalize it!!!!!!!!!!!
im all for the legalization of MJ, but i agree with the big picture of the whole idea. that the legalization of MJ would supply the country with more range of jobs and not to mention how much money it would bring the government in taxes, i had a friend that has never smoked anything in his life for 20 years and he had the same ideals as the ignorant fed government that they implanted in his mind but the minute he tried it his whole outlook on it changed and it gave him a better understanding of this so called drug!! if there is any way i can contribute to this cause let me know.
i agree with the legalization of marijuana because it is a lot less dangerous than most drugs. even prescription drugs are dangerous. Have you ever watched one of those commercials advertising some type of perscription drug......the side effects are worse than the illness you already have, they always say, may cause this, that, the other, and even death. I do not like how it was stated in the article that "we have a black president and gay marriage is ....." what does having a black president have to do with the legalization of weed? The only reason we never had a black president before was due to the ignorance of the U.S. When obama was elected, ppl had to put race aside and pick the best man for the job to clean up the huge mess that bush left for him to clean up.
Theres nothing wrong with pot at all id rather have kids smoking it then drinking at a party all it does it make you feel relaxed kills pain and u get hungry after a while besides ur Food it doesnt hurt anything or anyone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqJO-RFQfHk understand all your knolage about this harmless drug
The federal government has historically clearly been deceptive and dishonest regarding the public-policy issue of marijuana. Their true motives are ill-gained profit and power, against the will and at the expense of the tax-paying populace. As the Lord is my holy witness and in the name of Jesus Christ, I admonish the demons driving the misguided Prohibitionists' actions back into the depths of darkness from which they have slithered.
Im an 18 year old college student who has been charged with possession of marijuana (less than an oz), its not right in my mind that you can be arrested and spend 12 hours in the county jail with people who actually committed serious crimes and should be there then end up getting over 180 hours of community service and a year of probation with drug screenings.... I understand the "message" that they tried to implant in my mind and the "lesson" that they wanted to teach me, but seriously all of that for having a plant that god made in my pocket? Shouldn't the tax payed law enforcement try to stop crack cocaine dealers or kids drinking and driving instead of wasting 2 hours of there time sitting around talking about the young man they just caught and then finally taking them to the county jail around 1 a.m.? I mean I wonder if they could have stopped any people that were drunk driving around at these crtical hours of a weekend night.... get a grip people accept reality. Let's keep alcohol legal so it can keep killing people everyday and destroying futures right everyone?
Think about the negative effects of THC. Wait there's hardly none. He'll even docotrs prescribe it everyday to patients and people who it helps. Do you see doctors giving patients a 12 pack of bud light? No. We need to get this topic flowing in conversations and debates and see if we can at the very least get rid of the negative effects of possessing marijuana.
Marijuana...is it really that bad?...is it really as bad as the government or most people say it is?...I mean look at portugal...they legalized marijuana and now they have fewer problems to deal with in their government.You can't move forward without change.Georgia and others make marijuana seem like its just as equal as heroine or meth and even though its been scientifically proven that marijuana is safer than alcohol,alcohol is still legal.Just ask yourself,how many people do you know that have died due to alcohol?how many people do you know to die from marijuana?...and you know people or should i say adults against marijuana always talking about their child(ren) getting influenced by this "drug" ,marijuana, but they fail to realize that legal or not marijuana is not going to be any and everywhere and its just like alcohol and other drugs.I mean what parents wouldn't think about what their child(ren) pick up from school?I know for a fact that there are always children bringing substances to school or around the school that should not be present.In conclusion, i feel that marijuana is bound to be legalized because everyone wants it, everyone loves it...LEGALIZE MARIJUANA(and don't mess with it ir change it because its fine just the way it is)THC...THC
as a native Georgian who now lives in California, and has her medical marijuana card, I can tell you life is alot easier for me than it used to be. I have had guns pulled on me by overzealous, redneck cops just because they thought we were smoking, and i had my boyfriend taken to jail just because we had a PIPE (this was a separate occasion from the first, and the arrest happened in South Carolina). it just seems such a big FAT waste of time. its like going after bunny rabbits with tazers and nuclear bombs. It makes the south look like IDIOTS. no one believes me when i tell them about my experiences growing up in the south. but a guy can be absolutely wacked out drunk and beat his wife and no one talks about closing down the liquor stores. BTW its also ridiculous that you can't buy beer on sunday. stupidest thing ever. if GA believed in conservative principles they would legalize weed in a second. unfortunately you just have puritans masquerading as conservatives. believe me, it ain't the same thing.
Well one reason they will not make it legal is because they make too much money making it not legal. __ Smoking is something our first fathers back in the days grown and smoked thats what they loved about America. Hemp cloths and rope. lantern oils and glue. they even had farms of it growen on there land. Look at history they even taxed it at on time as a trade crop. It ended when cocane and herion came into play. They are the drugs they needed to keep grips on. Weed they found was a gateway that started people to use them drugs for a better high. So they made beer and harder drinks legal and out law the others. One day them people will see its a peace drug/med/herb better then any pill/drink you can have.
I suffer from depression, which sometimes makes me make stupid or careless decisions that may affect my personal safety. I've tried numerous prescription drugs and none seem to come close to the happiness that marijuana can make me feel. I just got arrested the other day for possession of a roach not bigger than the size of my fingernail (which are clipped short). I managed to get a little jail time and a yr probation with 775 dollar fine for the crime. So now I cannot smoke pot due to random drug tests and the fear of failing one, yet everyday I'm left with intense suicidal thoughts and absolutely nothing I can do for myself but bend over and take a fat peach right up the ass. Thanks a lot Georgia I appreciate the big "fuck you!"....BUT if half the people fighting to keep this shit illegal had even a tenth of these thoughts and feelings that I must endure everyday I'm sure their opinions would be much different, or say THEIR child attempted suicide and they found out that pot actually helps to fight these feelings, they would bend over backwards to try and get it legalized...but since they don't have any medical problems like mine they don't give a damn.
hell, even if they did have a child die via suicide, the individuals who keep it illegal are making too much money to give a damn and do anything about it... legalization for personal use, im all for it. good luck with your depression... that must be difficult. just remember that even in death, our spirits dont change... nothing changes, except you dont have a physical body to master those controls anymore. you can do it! live to laugh! and yes, MJ helps that, definately.
If Tennessee does legalizes medical marijuana, I think that will put pressure on the eleven (count 'em!) states that border Tennessee, including Georgia. Moralizing aside, the drug war is a folly we can no longer afford. Legalization and taxation is simply sound fiscal policy.
It is beyond madness that a state that would crush anyone who tried to put limitations or ban alcohol and guns would take such an archaic stance on marijuana... What a bunch of hypocrites.
Society is told that marijuana is illegal for our own protection. Consider this. I can legally purchase a LARGE bottle of alcohol from the package store, take it home, sit on my couch and start drinking until I die from alcohol poisoning. I will have died while not breaking a single law. I have Multiple Sclerosis. In every single state that allows the use of medicinal marijuana, I could qualify in a heart beat. But if I were to sit on that same couch and smoke a little pot to alleviate the suffering I endure because of M.S., I can only hope the cops don't kick in my door and take me to jail. How many people in this world die from the direct use of cigarettes and booze? Countless! And I can buy cigs 7 days a week and booze 6 days a week. The hypocrisy of our laws on marijuana is mind boggling.
Plus, you can't die directly from intaking marijuana. So you could smoke all you wanted and you'd just fall asleep. As long as you don't go jumping off a cliff or anything, you'd be fine.
I feel it should be legal. The only reason it is illegal now is because they couldn't find a way to tax it until now. Anything the gov't can't tax it is illegal like moonshine. Think about it if,they do make it legal they won't have to worry about giving people speeding tickets, most people high move slow even driving most of the time. With weed you only get so high and it makes you think better.
yet another petition for the decriminalization of pot for personal use in good 'ole GA. Doesn't have much progress yet, but thats because its tucked away. more people need to see it. the more the better.
Monorprise- This is a well articulated post and it speaks to the necessary politics of everything. We are talking about freedom and protecting individuals against government encroachment (protected by the 10th amendment) and you raise the South and gun laws. Last time I checked, the 2nd Ammendment already protects the rights to own firearms end of story. I am not a gun owner and don't believe in owning one, but I'd never suggest banning them as they are protected by the 2nd Ammendment. This is a common sense issue now about reform, job creation and saving billions in human capital and earning billions in tax revenue. As a conservative- I don't want the federal or state government in my garden and telling me what I can do. It is prohibition. Why do I need to consider gun reform when we are discussing ending marijuana prohibition? This is about economics. If Georgia is a conservative state- shouldn't we be concerned with personal freedom, tax revenue, business, and less regulation? Aren't these conservative principles? I am confused?
LMAO yeah, i think monorprise was stoned when he wrote that comment. tehehehe
I'm not sure this is going to fly in Georgia, Marijuana may be popular in many liberal states but wanting Georgia to legalize Marijuana seems a bit crazy. Even after the Federal government abandons its Marijuana Drug laws I still expect Georgia to keep Marijuana outlawed.
It's Georgia, I think as far as Marijuana goes in Georgia the most you can probably get them to do is reject the Federal authority on the matter, but i dont see them doing that ether in this particular area, as why would they turn down free money on a matter they already agree with?
No my friend, Georgia and other conservative states will help the States rights cause in other very important ways, but don't ask them to do this. Ask for their help in areas of actual common interest such as against federal gun laws.
As usual I believe the truth about MJ, pot, hemp etc. is stranger than fiction. The reason we are given for the continued ban on growing hemp is because the strain of hemp that gives you a buzz can too easily be grown alongside and would go unnoticed. Given the fact that 1 acre of hemp is quickly grown and hence renewable and the fact that the same amount of paper can be produced from an acre of hemp as 3 acres of trees, plus the fact that hemp oil can virtually be used for anything that petroleum can be used for, I suggest the reverse is true. They are afraid we will grow hemp in among the strain that gets you high. If hemp were legalized it would make a cash crop to rivial anything grown now for farmers. It would also put a huge dent in the profits of companies like Monsanto and DuPont who make plastics and the chemicals needed to make plastics. Hemp would not only provide oil, but livestock feed, paper, clothing, containers as good or better than any plastic container. Bottom line, it is just to costly for the companies that currently produce the petroleum based products. It would not polute our water and air and is extememly easy to grow making it annually renewable. Take a closer look.
As a casualty of the drug wars here I speak from the heart and pocketbook.I was busted for growing a few plants .I got two years and a fine of one hundred thousand and some change.I did my time and settled the fine by going back to prison and finishing up the sentence.When I got out I found that despite the prison time and the fines and probation and parole which were all completed I was being kept from jobs because I was a convicted felon.Then I find out in Georgia I cannot hold any professional licence.Then this year I discovered that despite service in vietnam in the USMC two tours and honorable discharge. That after being out of work for four months and applying for food stamps. I was told, with glee I might add ,that "anyone convicted for drugs will never be eligible."I watched the history channel a while back and they had a show on " The Dark Ages "and I thought to myself Hmmmm are they speaking of here in Georgia in the twenty first century.
So...I take it y'all would have no problem with your police, school bus drivers, air traffic controllers, etc. smoking pot? Because it's very difficult and expensive to test for marijuana (unlike alcohol tests). Make it legal, and you have no real means for restricting it.
Think before you leap.
Well, Janice, I understand that you think decriminalizing harmless pot will cause chaos. There are other venues that are probably far better at debating that with you. But even if you're right - and from that you want to have pot illegal in your state. Would you require, under threat of punishment, people in other states to pay to enforce that law in your area?
I, and many others, stand by marijuana in that it is safer than alcohol and should be treated as such. I do not believe it would be a problem- how many of those police, bus drivers, etc. go to work drunk? Not many, and the ones that do get fired. Simple as that. There really is NO logical reason for pot to be illegal, but I can come up with at least 10 reasons why it should be legal.
so you think it is ok if our police, school bus drivers, air traffic controllers to be drunk?
That is like the most retarded suggestion to imply that our police and public safety would smoke and be high while on duty. I'm sure any rationalized thinking person would there would be regulations for these people to smoke while working. I would think that our Police Department heads and Fire Department heads would make them agree to terms of not smoking during their shifts or on the property or such. They dont care if you drink off the clock, so why should smoking either. Really people?!
Sure would... Been a daily smoker since 1998... Guess how many car accidents I've gotten into in that time! 2... and one of them was today... but neither were my fault. I spend 1/2 the day in a company truck.
People that say it impairs you are full of it. I'll roll up a fatty and outdrive you any day of the week... or if you like... I'll whoop your butt in Guitar Hero... since I play better stoned.
You ignorant people actually believe that the government would tell you the truth about something? Do you even know why it was banned? 1/4 of the US smokes or has smoked. If the other 3/4 would get their foot out of their ass and educate themselves, the laws would get repealed.
Old ideas die with old people. Less and less of the population is allowing themselves to be brainwashed by their government. Open your mind and think for yourself. In the end, you will realize that most of everything the government (ANY GOVERNMENT) tells you is a sack of crap.
*cough* Yes... I'm smoking right now... and I bet I'm a harder worker than you are.
Sincerely
Lurch
Can;t you go to walgreens and get a THC test for 15 bucks?
You mean rather than cocaine and alcohol?? I would actually have no problem with that at all, haha.
Anybody who has smoked pot and also drank alcohol will tell you that alcohol is much more dangerous. Not only to the person health but also to those around them. Domestic abuse would go way down because the last thing a person stoned on pot wants is a conflict of any kind while a drunk many times think they are 7 ft. tall and made of steel and they have the bad attitude to go with it. There has never been a war on drugs to begin with. The war has been on American citizen who prefer a drug buzz to an alcohol buzz. Being illegal is sure not stopping anything.
BK - I'm right with you there! Making things illegal only makes it more dangerous, anyway. As far as a federal level, the drug war, in my opinion, is one of the gravest violations of the constitution that we face today.
I couldn't agree with you more! Everybody should check out a movie called The Union.
Never heard of it.....what's it about, how does it related to this article?
YES!! i saw it about a week ago..itll make Nixon want to legalize pot!!
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I'm am Dean with Georgia for Cannabis, we are fighting every day for peoples right to choose what they put into there bodies. We need to change the unjust laws and let people make their own choice.
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