Don’t Criticize It, Legalize It!

I’m walking home the other day and there is guy who is just blitzed out of his mind and this is about 4 in the afternoon and as I see him weaving back and forth he stops and tries to take a leak right on the sidewalk. Well he falls down and is lying face first on some grass and takes a leak. Other times I’ve walked around and seen folks drinking beers in groups who become very loud and sometimes violent. Let me contrast this with another night I was walking home where I passed two guys smoking a joint. They were happy and friendly and did not produce 16 empty beer cans/bottles in their wake. So it occurred to me, we really ought to legalize marijuana. Now granted I’ve mostly seen its use with the Grateful Dead crowd, but I’ve never seen anyone violent who just smoked some weed. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating drug use here. I’m not saying its use should be mandatory. But if there are those above a certain age, they should be permitted. And I think the streets of DC is a perfect place for legalization. Think of the taxes that the city could earn and hell, it might even put a dent in some of the illegal drug dealing on our corners. Additionally, when you smoke a joint that is it, it is gone, no refuse to worry about, no violence, no folks pissing on the sidewalks. So why don’t we legalize it? Is it that much worse than drinking alcohol?