HAS THE TIME COME TO LEGALIZE POT?

On the subject of legalizing marijuana, Gov. Schwarzenegger is right.

And he's wrong.

"Well, I think it's not time for (legalization), but I think it's
time for a debate," Schwarzenegger said. "I think all of those ideas
of creating extra revenues, I'm always for an open debate on it. And
I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are
doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs. What effect did
it have on those countries?"

With a bill to legalize and tax marijuana having been introduced in
the Legislature, and with a recent Field Poll showing 56 percent of
registered voters in favor of legalizing and taxing marijuana to
raise revenue for the state, a debate is in order.

But the prospect of raising an estimated $1.34 billion by taxing pot
is not the reason to initiate such a debate.

No, the reason to begin the debate is the demonstrable failure of the
nation's drug laws.

Two decades of the "war on drugs" have failed to dry up the American
market for illegal drugs. Instead, that effort has filled the
nation's prisons, while the continuing market for drugs has fueled
violence in both this country and Mexico.

That is the context in which Americans -- not just Californians --
should debate questions such as legalizing marijuana. We are
adamantly opposed to even considering legalizing cocaine,
methamphetamine and heroin because of their tragic consequences,
although the current system of prohibition and enforcement is not
working and seems unsustainable.

But marijuana is in a different category. While it may be a gateway
to more deadly drugs, the same might be said of alcohol, which
produces many of the same effects as pot and certainly is a factor in
more deaths each year.

That doesn't mean we're ready to say marijuana should be legalized.
But it warrants discussion, so give the governor credit and let the
debate begin.

As Californians join the discussion, they should keep the larger
picture in mind. A billion dollars in tax revenues won't make much of
a dent in California's budget.

And it's small potatoes compared with what's at stake as the nation
tries to come to grips with its boundless appetite for getting high
and the incredible costs of that appetite.