I never thought I would be calling Mississippi progressive.
The state currently buried in the controversial Amendment 26 vote, which, if passed, would define life from the moment of conception, ironically has some of the most lax marijuana laws in the country.
Marijuana is decriminalized in Mississippi. Under the state’s law, an individual can be in possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana with the only criminal consequence being a misdemeanor summons and a potential fine of $100 to $250.
In a nutshell, possession of up to 30 grams of pot in Mississippi can be equated to a traffic ticket. No arrest, minimal fine and the individual in question goes about his or her day virtually uninterrupted.
But what happens if you take that same 30 grams and cross the border into Louisiana, the drinking capital of America? You will be arrested.
Possession of any amount of marijuana in Louisiana is a crime. Although first-time offenders will be charged with a misdemeanor, they can still face a jail sentence of up to six months and a $500 fine.
Second offense for possession of any amount of marijuana in the state of Louisiana is a felony. Offenders can face up to five years in prison. Louisiana legislators, in an attempt to further punish drug possessors, have developed a crafty little clause into the penalties for possession. If an individual is in possession of any amount of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, church or public housing, it’s automatically a felony and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of half the maximum penalty.
Hypothetically, if an individual with no prior arrest record is apprehended in possession of even the smallest measurable amount of marijuana and happens to be within 1,000 feet of a school, church or public housing, it is an automatic felony with a minimum sentence of three months’ incarceration.
If this seems fair to you, we probably would not get along very well.
In the South, trying to escape being within 1,000 feet of a school, church or public building is about as difficult as electing a Democrat as governor. Virtually everyone caught in possession of marijuana is within these limitations and will face a felony charge.
I never thought I would say this, but why can’t we be more like Mississippi?
Currently, 50.7 percent of the federal prison population is being held on drug charges, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This leads to massive overpopulation of prisons and the need for more. Demand for new prisons has led many states to build private prisons owned by corporations.
We’ve established a system in this country where CEOs and corporations literally profit from fellow citizens being incarcerated. Crime has become good for the economy. Imprisoning non-violent drug offenders is the new housing bubble.
Our prisons are overpopulated. Private citizens profit from crime. The war on drugs has cost law enforcement billions in wasted resources.
The prohibition of pot has created a black market of bud supplied by violent Mexican cartels. Cartels do not want marijuana legalized, taxed, regulated and quality-controlled by the federal government. If that happens, nobody would buy black-market weed anymore. The financial backing of the cartels would diminish, and they would fade into oblivion.
With 40,000 Mexicans left dead since 2006 due to drug-related violence, God forbid we establish sensible legislation to prevent future violence.
I leave you with this — you are mentally deficient if you are against the legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana.
Prohibition is irrational, and drug problems should be treated as public health concerns and not with steep jail sentences that only further perpetuate a life of crime.
So before you hit “send” on that hate-mail message, remember that it’s just a plant.
 
Parker Cramer is a 20-year-old political science junior from Houston. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_pcramer.
 
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Contact Parker Cramer at [email protected]