Thinking Clearly

Jimmy Carter Endorses SAM- What was he thinking?

 

Read it at: The Beast 

 Jimmy Carter has come out in favor of decriminalization. The article at The Beast being promoted by David Frum is not really news. Joining forces with an organization that is against the decriminalization of marijuana is. To get the picture I reviewed a CNN newsroom transcript to see where Carter is coming from. His recent remarks about supporting SAM are a mystery to me for someone like Carter who says he supports the decriminalization of marijuana.

CNN newsroom transcripts from  December 11, 2012 show the following discussion with Jimmy Carter (relevant parts of the discussion ):

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Former President Jimmy Carter called for decriminalization of marijuana back in 1979. What he has to say about the legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington State and Colorado, that is up next.     ...

  

MALVEAUX: Former President Clinton and others opening up about the war on drugs in the new documentary, "Breaking the Taboo."
He's not the only former president who thinks the war on drugs has been a failure. I asked President Jimmy Carter what he thinks about the fight to legalize marijuana.

 

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I was president, in 1979, I made my definitive speech about drugs and I called for the decriminalization of marijuana.

(APPLAUSE)

CARTER: This was in 1979.

(APPLAUSE)

Not --

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: As for today?

(CROSSTALK)

CARTER: Not for the legalization but the decriminalization to keep people from being put in prison because they were smoking a marijuana cigarette. I pointed out nobody should be punished worse for smoking a cigarette than a cigarette would be to them if they smoked it. But now have for every person in prison when I went out of office in 1981, there are eight Americans now in prison. And most of those Americans who are in prison and most of those Americans who are executed with a death penalty are African-American or Hispanic or other minorities, and also people who have a mental problem. You cannot imagine a white male man who has money being executed. So the death penalty in America and putting everybody in prison because they have marijuana is a very major step backward, and it ought to be reversed not only in America but around the world.

(APPLAUSE)

MALVEAUX: What do you make of the legalization of marijuana and the states that have legalized marijuana?

CARTER: I'm in favor of. I think it's OK. I'm -- I don't think it's going to happen in Georgia yet --

From: CNN newsroom transcripts

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Doing drugs for an adult is a personal issue, not a criminal one. Decriminalizing marijuana cannot be accomplished by condoning it as a product of the criminal justice system and viewing it as a crime.

Ensuring that marijuana is not promoted to children has the endorsement of every responsible adult that I know.

We punish people that furnish alcohol to children without doing a neighborhood campaign to catch all the drinkers and take their booze with swat teams. We should not be taking this approach with drugs either. Its not a matter for the criminal justice system until you make it one. Prohibition does. So does SAM. Both are wrong.