Staff editorial: Supporting joint action

The green leaf that has stimulated the minds of America's young and old for generations could soon be coming to a doctor near you. Earlier this week, two bills were introduced in the General Assembly that would allow doctors and pharmacies to prescribe medicinal marijuana to patients suffering from severe conditions. This state would be the 15th to pass such a bill.

The bill is a step in the right direction and a symbol of changing times. And with its bipartisan support (it is sponsored by a Democrat in the House of Delegates and a Republican in the Senate), it's likely to pass.

But all too often, hesitant voters quiver with fear at the mere mention of weed and pretend to forget lighting up on McKeldin Mall back in the day. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, President Barack Obama and anchorman Tom Brokaw have all admitted to inhaling. The stigma that engulfed pot after the 1970s has slowly begun to fade, and with this new era have come relaxed policies, including the Obama administration's reduction in the enforcement of federal laws regarding the drug.

Despite the merits of the bill and the evidence that shows medical patients suffering from maladies such as glaucoma or who are undergoing chemotherapy are helped by marijuana, it would be naive to believe this is not a stepping stone toward legalizing and regulating the drug.

In California, the legalization of medical marijuana has led to a full-fledged marijuana industry and to residents claiming all manner of maladies to get a doctor's prescription. The legalization of medical marijuana there has basically led to the legalization of marijuana for anyone who can come up with a semi-plausible excuse.

Many students and politicians are aware of the enormous revenue that could be brought in by regulating marijuana. If pot were taxed in the same fashion as alcohol and tobacco, it would make the government money as well as bring the drug out of the shadows.

Although the bills' supporters before the General Assembly would never admit this legislation is a gateway to broader legalization, common sense tells us it is. The minute the state allows doctors or pharmacists to distribute marijuana for medical purposes, the next shove for full legalization will ensue. The bills' sponsors must know this but will remain silent for bipartisan support, as they should.

We support the legislation for its medical merits but also because it is a step — although not a leap — toward a commonsense drug policy. State law already allows leniency to those caught with marijuana who can prove they have a serious medical condition. This inconsistent policy is inviting state residents to break the law. The bills before the General Assembly would stop this contradiction.

In this country and in others around the world, including Canada, legalization has been used to end the puritanical fear of marijuana. Although the drug certainly has its consequences if abused, they are arguably no more terrible than the effects of abusing alcohol or cigarettes.

It's time politicians begin to smarten up and remember their youth. Only then will they realize the debate is much ado about nothing. The General Assembly has an opportunity to keep the momentum going to end marijuana's stigma as a danger to society. Let's hope it does.