Dartblog

“The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance,” CNN reported yesterday.

While I do not disagree with the gist of the bill, I got a chuckle out of Frank’s justification: “The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business.”Really. Does he happen to read any of the scores of bills he signs every session that profoundly interfere with so many aspects of human activity? He is certainly right, but I wish he would be tad more consistent.

According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, “marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.” I don’t know that science behind claims like these but I don’t know that it matters. If a little pot cures cancer or whatever else, great. Then maybe we should encourage it for these things or at least remain neutral until the science pans out. But even in the absence of this evidence, plenty of people drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and I have yet to hear about health benefits to those things. I have an aversion to dirty hippies as much as the next guy but I tend to think that principles of freedom and autonomy override.