The enforcement of marijuana laws across the country seems to vary a great deal. If one goes out to the West Coast, it seems law enforcement officials aren’t as concerned with stopping citizens from using the drug. It is much more acceptable than here in good old Iowa.

In large cities, often police do not have the time to deal with something as minor as smoking pot. They have much more serious things to worry about.

On the other hand here in the Midwest it is much more frowned- upon. If a person is caught with a bag of pot, they are suddenly labeled a criminal.

Regardless of where you are at in the country, you can get in serious trouble for using a substance that has no effect whatsoever on others’ rights.

Last January, I found this out firsthand.

A group of friends and I were sitting around the apartment smoking pot and watching a movie. As a result of an alcohol-related incident in the hallway, the police came running into the apartment to find a few bags of weed and some smoking equipment.

We were placed under arrest and taken to the Ames Police Department where we were booked and thrown in jail for the night.

The next morning a friend and I were released. But my roommate wasn’t as lucky. They charged him with intent to deliver and not being in possession of a drug tax stamp (one would be a fool to try to get one). Both charges are felonies. He was taken to the Story County Jail where he was held on $9,000 bail.

Oh, and here is my favorite part. The lease we signed stated if we were caught with drugs in the apartment, we would be evicted. Normally 30 days notice would be required, but because my roommate was charged with intent, we were labeled a “clear and present danger” to our neighbors, so we only had three days’ notice. (What happened to `innocent until proven guilty?’) As a result of that, we could not find a place to live, so we had to drop out of school for the semester. The funny part about this is, those neighbors I was such a danger to were some of the very same people I smoked with. Ironic, isn’t it?

Eventually my roommate had the felonies dropped and we were all charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, which are both misdemeanors. Luckily, we all received deferred judgments, which means we are on probation for a year. If we stay out of trouble, nothing will go on our record.

But don’t be fooled – it is very expensive. Lawyer fees, court costs, fines paid to the Ames Police Department, probation costs, substance-abuse evaluation, eviction and dropping out of school have cost me literally thousands of dollars.

And why? I didn’t do anything to hurt anyone but myself.

I understand what I did was against the law. I am paying the consequences for that right now.

I do not blame the police or a judge for my getting in trouble. I made a choice and now I see the results of that choice.

I am not saying anyone involved in the criminal justice process did anything wrong.

They were just doing their job.

However, I will argue until I am blue in the face that our nation’s drug laws are some of the most idiotic laws on the books.

Let’s look back at the history of our country. As a result of the progressive era, alcohol was banned in the 1920s, much like marijuana and other drugs are today. It was prohibition.

As we all know, it flopped. All it did was create organized crime and a black market. We soon learned that prohibition does not work, at least with alcohol, and people were free to drink again.

Fast-forward to present.

What is the result of marijuana being illegal? A black market and drug dealers. Doesn’t that sound familiar? The War on Drugs is the exact same thing Prohibition was – damaging to our country.

Our different levels of government spend billions upon billions upon billions of dollars to keep drugs out of this country. Does it work? Obviously not. We have millions of people using drugs in this country every day.

The government is, in effect, stripping the economy of billions of dollars to enforce the unenforceable.

It makes a lot more sense to legalize drugs and charge a tax for purchasing them. The government would then make money rather than waste it.

Well, a group of Nevadans agree.

Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement got a marijuana initiative on the state election ballot this year.

It is not a measure to decriminalize, but to actually legalize up to four ounces of marijuana as well as to make the drug legal for medical purposes. The idea is to remove the threat of arrest for “responsible” users and punish those who use the drug irresponsibly. An example of irresponsible use would be driving under the influence.

The drug would be treated much like alcohol is treated today. There would be a minimum age requirement of 21 to purchase and possess it and smoking it in public would be prohibited.

If approved, the initiative will produce a more efficient government, give more time for police to focus on violent criminals, and give the citizens of Nevada the freedom to do what they want with their own bodies.

I hope the initiative will pass and we will begin to see a new trend sweep through the nation. The time for change has come. It is for a better America.

Zach

Calef

is a junior in apparel

merchandising, design and production from Cedar Rapids. He is a member of the Daily’s editorial board.