Opinion
Legalize marijuana; shrink black market
By Thad Kreisher
Entertainment Editor
Once again the O.M.I.
(Oregon Marijuana Initiative)
people have managed to get
the marijuana initiative on the
ballot for 1986. Bad news for
O.M.I., as every time the in
itiative makes it onto the
ballot,. record numbers of
voters turn out to defeat it.
The politicians should be
pleased, however, as they
finally have voter participa
tion.
It seems strange to me that
people who normally don’t
.are about the outcome of
most things political all of a
sudden become active upon
hearing an utterance of the
word “marijuana.” Many of
these voters don’t even have
the slightest idea as to just
what the exact provisions of
the initiative are. The only
thing of importance to them is
that the “ultimate evil,” can
nabis, is about to become
legal. Time to grab the swords
and shields and once again
champion the causes of truth,
justice, and the American
way.
Not so fast, guys. There’s
much more to this issue than
meets the eye. Many of the op
ponents of the initiative have
said that legalizing marijuana
would only serve to increase
drug trade throughout the
state, especially to minors.
After looking at the provisions
of the initiative, most people
would agree that these reasons
are groundless. The marijuana
initiative would allow private
individuals of age to grow,
and possess a small amount of
marijuana for personal use.
The sale of marajuana, and
Vietnam veterans deserve
more public support
By Loretta Carter
Staff Writer
The plane is slowly descen
ding from the heavens, wheels
bouncing as they hit the run
way of the airport, and smoke
seeps from the tires as the
brakes are locked-on for the
landing.
“Home at last,” says a
young war veteran. “No more
guns, no more bombs, and no
more death”. This thought
ran through all the Viet-Nam
veterans as they came back to
civilization in the US. These
young men and women had no
idea of what they were to face
once they step off the civilian
plane.
The airport is crowed with
people coming and going from
one place to another. A
veteran dressed in his class A
uniform has just reached the
terminal. On his way home, he
is greeted by thrown tomatoes,
followed by abusive language.
A wetness spattered the once
neatly pressed uniform.
“Baby killer, crazy, why did
you ever have to come back no
one wants your kind here,”
says the hippy with the long
hair. These words nearly tore
the heart out of the young
veteran as he stood before his
judge and jury. The soldier
walks on as in a state of shock
and disbelief.
This was the scene that the
returning Viet-Nam veteran
received from all over the
United States as he returned
home - home to their country
that they fought and many
died for: a country of arm
chair warriors.
I feel this is a poor way to
show our appreciation for so-
Page 2
meone who went to war for my life here, fight to make a
place for myself in my own
you and me.
A young boy of nineteen’s country.” Still another said,
life was snatched from him “I thought all the fighting and
just when his life should have hurting was gone when I left
really begun. He Was taught to Viet-Nam.”
The Viet-Nam War will
kill, to destroy, and changed
from a young boy To a man in always be with these soldiers.
just a few short months. These > They will relive it over and
boys are to go into a world of j over everyday of their lives.
hurt and death, watching as They will never be able to wipe
their comrades are tortured, the death and horror from
their friends murdered, and their minds.
I feel that the government
watching ones brother or
closest buddy beg for death has done a grave disservice to
while laying in his arms with a these veterans who should
bullet in his head or gut. These have had the standard six-
same young men and women month reorientation period
are supposed to come back in usually required by th*e Armed
to the civilized world and act Forces before a discharge is
granted. Instead, many of
as if nothing ever happened.
Instead of a marching band them were thrust out into
to welcome them home they society to fend for themselves.
got just the opposite: a night Maybe if they hadn’t had the
mare. These men and women right to reorientation stripped
should be welcomed with open from them these veterans
‘7 wish I had died over there. At
least there were people there who
cared. ”
arms and with “thank you’”s
for fighting for us. Society has
no idea of what they have
done to our Viet-Nam
veterans. They have condemn
ed these soldiers to a life of liv
ing hell by their abusive and
unfair actions.
I talked to a Viet-Nam
veteran who said, “I wish I
had died over there. At least
there were people there who
cared.” Another said, “I
didn’t realize that when I got
home I would have to fight for
would have been able to cope
better to civilian life.
These veterans need our
help and support. They want
to forget, but we can make it
more tolerable for them as
they try to learn to live with
their pain and put things into
perspective. The only way this
will ever happen is with the
public’s support and help.
These soldiers deserve much
better thn ridicule for what
had to be done in the name of
war.
use of marijuana by minors
would still be illegal. The in
itiative would only serve to
keep thousands of respectable
citizens from going to jail, and
to add an estimated five-
hundred million dollars to the
Oregon economy.
Alaska already has such an
initiative, and according to re
cent ex-Organizational Chair
for the Democratic Party of
Oregon, Richard Weiss, it has
been found, that the number of
juvenile court cases involving
marijuana have in fact, gone
down, as has the overall
underground trade of can
nabis. Furthermore, it has
reduced the total number of
drug related court cases by 70.
The United States is now
facing the same problem that
Holland did. The number of
people currently using mari
juana makes it impossible to
adequately police all users. We
do not possess the resources or
a court system adequate
enough to handle the massive
amount of cases. The Federal
Government has tried to
stomp it out by only requiring
that an officer have “suspi
cion” to search for drugs.
Sounds suspiciously like the
open search warrants of police
states.
Take away the illegality of
the product, and much of the
corruption attested to drugs
can be eliminated, as well as
causing the dealers themselves
a great loss of power. After
all, isn’t it useless to bribe so
meone for the right to sell
unhindered, something that
the people can grow and use
cheaper themselves?
What it all comes down to is
freedom of choice. We are free
to choose whether or not we
drink alcohol, and whether or
not we smoke tobacco, so why
should we not be free to
choose for or against mara
juana, a drug almost as widely
used as alcohol.
Those who oppose mari
juana use would still have the
right to abstain. It is their right
to choose not to if they wish,
but is it also their right to
choose for others? I feel that it
is high time for Americans to
be allowed the right to make
this decision for themselves.
Correction
The letter to the editor titled “Year’s plans detailed” did not
carry its authors name, ASG President Daniel Hilts.
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