By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

No, Sarah Palin doesn’t favor legalization of pot. But in a recent appearance with Rep. Ron Paul on the Fox Business Network, the half-term former governor of Alaska sounded … sensible. She said that while she opposes legalization–we don’t want to encourage kids to try it–she thinks that the police probably have more important things to do than bust adults who quietly toking up in the privacy of their own homes.

Here’s what she said (h/t Hot Air’s Allahpundit):

Well, if we’re talking about pot, I’m not for the legalization of pot because I think that that would just encourage, especially, our young people to think that it was OK to go ahead and use it. And I’m not an advocate for that. However, I think that we need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts. And if somebody’s gonna smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody else any harm, then perhaps there are other things that our cops should be looking at to engage in and try to clean up some of the other problems that we have in society that are appropriate for law enforcement to do and not concentrate on such a, relatively speaking, minimal problem that we have in the country.

Pot as a minimal problem? But ambivalent about legalization? Is it possible Sarah Palin and I agree on something? Talk about feeling like I’m in an altered state.

Of course as Allahpundit notes, Palin’s drug policy–it’s OK for adults but not for kids–is essentially how we treat alcohol. “If she’s going to go this far and basically call for cops to look the other way at non-violent adult users, why not go the whole nine yards and embrace legalization with age limits?” the blogger writes. “Or is that the next step once social conservatives acclimate themselves to her current position?” Good question.

One final thought: We had a pretty good debate on the legalization issue. Former Drug Czar Lee Brown argued against it while former cop Peter Moskos made a strong argument in favor of legalization and regulation. Both pieces are worth reading.

found @: http://mapinc.org/url/WJoTb2dD

Newshawk: Taking the Initiative http://www.drugsense.org/caip#take
Pubdate: Thu, 17 Jun 2010
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Page: 7A, top of page, four column banner headline
Webpage: http://mapinc.org/url/i5kHhmhl
Copyright: 2010 Detroit Free Press
Contact: http://www.freep.com/article/99999999/opinion04/50926009
Author: Naomi R. Patton, Free Press Staff Writer
Cited: Coalition for a Safer Detroit http://www.saferdetroit.net/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis – United States)

MARIJUANA VOTE IS 1 STEP AWAY

Detroit Commission Must OK Language

Detroiters are one step away from a November vote on whether to allow
possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The Detroit City Council’s Internal Operations Committee declined
Wednesday to vote on amending a city ordinance that would allow
anyone 21 and older to legally possess less than 1 ounce of marijuana
on private property. The issue is now headed to the Detroit Election
Commission for approval of the ballot language.

Advocated by the Coalition for a Safer Detroit — the group that
successfully got medical marijuana placed on the ballot in 2004,
which passed — the ordinance would amend Chapter 38 of the city code
regulating controlled substances.

Tim Beck, a registered medical marijuana user who filed the
petitions, says the amended ordinance would “free up the Police
Department to pursue crimes with actual victims.”

In 2009, Beck said, there were 1,500 arrests for misdemeanor
marijuana possession in Detroit.

Detroit police spokesman John Roach said the department’s legal staff
is still researching the impact of legalized recreational marijuana.

The City of Denver and the State of Alaska have similar laws.
Legislation in Seattle and California has been proposed.

[snip]