Marijuana Policy Project

Ben Badio, you must be high. In your article "Legalizing marijuana will ruin a great culture," you says that marijuana smokers are, "Some of the nicest, most intelligent people" you know. But you stand in favor of keeping marijuana illegal because marijuana culture, with all its nefarious thrill, could be jeopardized. That's obviously false and selfish. Marijuana culture is a mish-mash of countercultures from yesteryear and a few great bands — if pot is legal those relics aren't going anywhere. But the nice, intelligent friends of yours will be going somewhere if they're caught smoking pot.

The penalty for possession in Florida is up to a year in jail. And in 2007, Florida reported 169,360 drug arrests, the largest of any category of kind of arrest, and the largest portion of those were for marijuana. We needn't detail what happens to the nice, intelligent young men who go to jail in Florida, right? Put down the bong and get a grip of public policy for more than your own selfish indulgences.