Slowing the legal weed freight train
A decriminalization crusader sees a different future for recreational marijuana
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Sabet's strategy for sabotaging legalization is to offer legislators what he calls "a true decriminalization and [social] justice" bill, which would do away with arrests for low-level offenses and replace them with a system for referrals and drug counseling. His idea of replacing arrests with warnings, citations and small fines is a far cry, however, from what most drug reformers have in mind. Although he says SAM is still formulating its approach and aims for flexibility, the recommendations in the "model legislation" on the group's website read almost like a parody of bureaucratic overreach. Many of SAM's purported goals, such as avoiding the overt commercialization of marijuana, could be achieved through legislation, prohibition's opponents say.
