D.A.R.E. Comes Out in Support of Legalizing Cannabis
D.A.R.E., an international substance abuse prevention education program formed in 1983, has come out in support of legalizing cannabis.
“People like me, and other advocates of marijuana legalization, are not totally blind to the harms that drugs pose to children,” said deputy sheriff Carlis McDerment in an op-ed published on D.A.R.E.’s website. “We just happen to know that legalizing and regulating marijuana will actually make everyone safer.”
He continues: “Anyone who suggests we outlaw everything dangerous to children would also have to ban stairs, Tylenol, bleach, forks and outlet sockets and definitely alcohol. Those things harm children every day, but anyone championing that we ban them would be laughed at. I support legalization precisely because I want to reduce youths’ drug use.
McDerment adds that “Drug dealers don’t care about a customer’s age. The answer isn’t prohibition and incarceration; the answer is regulation and education.”
Given that D.A.R.E. has consistently compared cannabis to heroin and other hard drugs in regards to its potential dangers and impact on society, many will see this as quite the paradigm shift.
Currently the link to the op-ed on D.A.R.E.’s website is down, but can be found by clicking here.
[Update 7:10AM: D.A.R.E.’s John Lindsay has clarified to the Washington Post that publication of the op-ed was a mistake, and it has since been removed.]
– TheJointBlog
Anonymous
Seems logical unless you’re working in conjunction with WA LCB. In other words, we set examples for these kids whether we are conscious about it or not, so optimal conditions for our youth is dependent upon the conditions, standards, and ethics that we institutionalize for ourselves. We can do better with how we explain the harmful effects of alcohol, cigarettes, etc. to kids. Especially when we have cannabis for comparison. In order for their realization of American society to become ideal with regards to cannabis culture, then we would ideally be teaching the youth how to learn and how to think clearly for themselves. Science helps. So does moving the discussion away from the police; I DARE you. Don’t even get me started on prisons. The paradigm is constantly shifting towards cannabis-friendly because alcohol, cigarettes, etc. suck about as bad as the WA LCB’s ability to legalize – BOOM. Microcosm of federal failures, so I have a morsel of forgiveness for incompetence at the state level.