JnEverett

Virginia unlikely to give green light
11-02-06 l The Breeze l Vinod Narayan

In Colorado, a ballot initiative — Amendment 44 — would make it legal for people 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana.

If Virginia State Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-26th district, has it his way, that would never happen in the commonwealth.

“If ever marijuana was to be decriminalized in this state, I would oppose it 100 percent. Period,” Obenshain said. “Our laws are a matter of line-drawing on a lot of things. It sends a wrong message to our kids if we are legalizing drugs.”

The mastermind behind the Colorado initiative is Mason Tivert, the campaign director for Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation. If this initiative succeeds in Colorado, his next attempt would be to make it a nationwide effort.

“Everything that people have been told the last 70-plus years about marijuana has been distortion and propaganda,” Tivert said. “Our goal is to educate the public, and we are simply trying to make a change so the law will make it possible for young adults to legally use marijuana.”

Along with Tivert, many others in the state are backing this proposal, and the Colorado Libertarian Party has made a statement about the issue.

“The Libertarian Party of Colorado feels the Amendment 44 is a step in the right direction to decriminalize marijuana in the state of Colorado,” Travis Nicks, chairman of the Libertarian Party in Colorado, said. “The party principle is it is your body, and you have the right to do with it whatever you may please,” Nicks said.

Obenshain, however, doesn’t agree with the Libertarian Party’s stance and dispelled the idea of marijuana being anything but a problem.

“I feel the way I do. If enough people disagree with me, then I won’t be re-elected in a few years,” he said.

Joseph Rudmin, JMU lab operations technician and a member of the Libertarian Party, would go further than just legalizing marijuana.

“I would advocate legalizing all drugs from marijuana to heroin,” Rudmin said. “Still, that would not change the fact that every person should still be 100 percent accountable for their consequent actions.”

Rudmin does concede that passing a law like the one in Colorado would be a tough sell in the commonwealth. He said there might be a turn of opinion. Rudmin agrees with Obenshain that drugs could be harmful to society, but that agreement only extends to a certain point.

“I agree with [Sen. Obenshain.] It’s okay that he tried to address legalizing drugs a bad influence on kids of society,” Rudmin said. “I just feel that civic organizations do things to solve problems. Government does things based on power.”

Freshman Morgan Simcox is in favor of legalizing marijuana.

He said, “Tobacco is legal and the only reason it’s still legal is because it is a multi-million-dollar industry. It comes down to who has the most money to lobby the politicians,” he said.

Along with Simcox, other students have spoken up.

“If you legalize marijuana, it loses its face value,” freshman Jonathan Rezadoost said. “It will become as common as cigarettes and alcohol, so there won’t be that euphoric, renegade feeling to smoking drugs, like there might have been if it was illegal.”

“More people have died in the war in Iraq than [from] smoking marijuana,” freshman James Hannen said. “Shows you how well this government is running the country.”

Some, however, do not believe such an amendment would have any chance of legalization closer to home.

Freshman Brendan Claseby said there are too many negative societal stereotypes associated with marijuana. He went on to say a ballot initiative like Colorado’s would not pass in Virginia.

In Virginia, possessing any amount of marijuana carries a first-time offense of 30 days in prison and a $500 fine. In Colorado, however, the current law carries only a $100 fine for a first offense.

Obenshain said Virginia’s drug laws don’t need to be changed.