Letters: On marijuana bills, why not just end debates on details and legalize pot?

By: Candace Newell and Peter Robins Brown

Originally published in The Advocate.

Like alcohol prohibition nearly a century ago, cannabis prohibition is on its last legs. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., have already ended prohibition. Another 13 states have decriminalized cannabis use.

In Louisiana, two-thirds of the state’s population favors ending prohibition, according to a recent survey by JMC Analytics, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agreeing that the time has come. The only demographic with less than 50% favorability was people over 65, a cohort that grew up in a time when “Reefer Madness” was still taken seriously.

These days we know that all the old scare tactics about cannabis simply don’t hold up. None of the other states that allow adult-use cannabis have experienced resulting increases in crime or traffic accidents. Cannabis hasn’t become a gateway to harder drugs. In fact, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that people may be turning to cannabis instead of more harmful, addictive drugs like opioids and alcohol.

On the other hand, those states have experienced a cannabis-fueled economic boom. The industry has created hundreds or even thousands of jobs in each state. Oregon, with a total population similar to Louisiana, brought in $12.5 million per month in combined state and local cannabis tax revenue last year. That’s money we can use for early childhood care, education, and infrastructure, while the business profits can help fuel economic growth in communities across our state.

Ultimately, the question isn’t whether we’re going to end prohibition, it is when? We can get ahead of the game by passing House Bill 637, which includes measures to ensure that industry profits stay in-state, or we can follow the old Louisiana political tradition of being among the last places to adapt to new realities. We think the time to act is now.

CANDACE NEWELL

state representative

New Orleans

PETER ROBINS-BROWN

policy director, Louisiana Progress

Baton Rouge