MARIJUANA PUSH IS FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS

The group that passed Denver's pot initiative last month is aiming to
get a similar law on the state's books. But the backers ignore the
drug's dangers.

We've said repeatedly that the national war on drugs is a failure.
But that doesn't mean we favor mindlessly legalizing general
marijuana use and possession at the state level.

A more enlightened federal approach would include taxes substantial
enough to discourage overuse of the drug and earmarking the resulting
funds to anti-drug education and treatment of victims of more serious
drugs such as cocaine. A reformed federal program could also require
close regulation of marijuana production to keep potencies within
specified limits and serious study of the health effects of smoking pot.

Unfortunately, none of these worthy elements are included in the
proposal for a statewide legalization of marijunana launched
Wednesday by SAFER Colorado.

These are the same folks who got Denver voters to approve making
possession and use of an ounce or less of marijuana legal for those
over 21. We objected to SAFER's Denver election tactics because ads
in favor of Initiative 100 pitched it as a way to make the city safer
and curb domestic violence.

Mason Tvert, the group's executive director, once again is making the
pitch that marijuana is a "substance far less harmful than alcohol."
His assertion that people become alcoholics because marijuana is
illegal is just as nonsensical now as during the Denver campaign.

The truth is both marijuana and alcohol alter perception and
reflexes, which is why it's illegal to drive under the influence of
either in Colorado. There's no equivalent to the Breathalyzer for
marijuana use, but according to Lance Clem, spokesman for the
Colorado Bureau of Investigation, roadside screening can indicate a
person is on drugs, at which point an officer can demand the driver
take a blood test. Refusal results in immediate revocation of
driver's licenses.

This may come as a shock to Tvert, who paints it as strictly an
"either-or" issue, but Clem says people driving under the influence
of drugs often drink alcohol, too.

Tvert's assertion that reports on possible health effects are "all
lies" is dangerously cavalier. We'd place more credence in the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, which says marijuana affects the
brain, and that long-term heavy users can suffer from short-term
memory loss and other effects. Worse are indications of developmental
deficits in babies whose mothers smoked marijuana while pregnant,
those who were breast-fed by pot-smoking mothers, and early
behavioral problems in marijuana-exposed kids.

It's likely SAFER will get the initiative on the ballot. But it may
have a tougher time convincing conservative voters outside Denver -
especially those who demand more factual information than SAFER's
phony public safety pitch.