By Alexandra Datig
The political climate and hurricane
Sandy created the ultimate distraction in the Presidential race and the perfect
storm for marijuana advocates. For the presidential candidates,
there was no time to speak about anything that was not a campaign issue and no
one seemed to remind the people of Colorado and Washington State that the
president’s policy on marijuana legalization is opposition to legalization.
If anyone did, they clearly fell on deaf ears. President Obama
and Governor Mitt Romney had similar positions in opposing legalization of
marijuana for recreational use. Why did the local media choose to
ignore White House policy?
Last Tuesday’s passage of
recreational marijuana use in the state of Colorado and Washington State has
now directly confronted us with the question marijuana advocates have long been
asking. Is it time to take a closer look at our drug laws? After 40
years of fighting to legalize marijuana politically and 75 years of trying to
undo marijuana laws legislatively, was it time proponents finally got their
way?
I have been evaluating both sides
of the spectrum for some time now and I think with the exception of few,
neither side fully understands their own argument. Many understand
policy, many understand laws, few understand politics and hardly anyone
understands recovery from addiction from the recovering person's perspective.
Does it make sense to be a drug
prevention advocate, clock out at five, go to a bar and have a few drinks?
Then, go back and argue marijuana should not be legal like alcohol? Does
it make sense to be a drug legalization advocate and not have a plan on how to
treat people who get addicted because recovery is broken? Does it make
sense to ask for treatment instead of jail when the 12 Step program, which is
used by over 70% of recovery establishments, has a 3-7% success rate?
I am almost 14 years sober and that
means I walk the walk. It is easy for someone to pontificate that people
have a right to be high. It is also easy to tell people never to use
drugs. But it is shortsighted for proponents who go before the people to
get their vote, not to figure out a workable solution for those who become
addicted or are forced into treatment through a court order. I
have been saying this for years and no one seems to be paying attention to the
fact that recovery is broken!
The passage of the Colorado and
Washington measures may feel like a victory for some and a defeat for
others. Whatever the case may be, we are still dealing with state laws
that challenge the supremacy of the Controlled Substances Act under which
marijuana is deemed a Schedule I drug, with a high potential for abuse.
In my view, the legalization agenda is a misguided idea that can best be
compared to walking a tightrope without a net. Those who tried to prevent
it put up a good fight for a noble cause and for this we must thank
them.
When drug legalization advocates
say we are going about the drug war the wrong way, they may have a point.
But in my view, their way is the wrong way because if we don’t fix recovery and
legalization efforts continue, we will continue to allow them to destroy
America from within.
