On the subject of legalizing marijuana, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is right. And he's wrong.
The governor, who is nothing if not flamboyant, grabbed headlines Tuesday by saying it's time for a debate on the question of legalizing and taxing marijuana.
"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 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. 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 but all Americans – should debate questions such as legalizing marijuana. It is difficult to feel sanguine about the prospect of legalized cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. At the same time, the system of prohibition and enforcement is not working and seems unsustainable.
So give the governor credit and let the debate begin. But as Californians join the discussion, they should keep the larger picture in mind.
A billion dollars or so 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.
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