By Larry Durstin
If any more evidence was needed that the obscene War on Drugs (i.e., marijuana) is a national tragedy that doubles as a total farce, one need only examine the latest “newsworthy” drug case involving Indians closer Chris Perez and his dog — sometimes referred to as man’s best friend.
Now, before we examine this particular incident, let’s take a look at where we are vis-a-vis marijuana in 2013 — a year that marks the 100th anniversary of the first prohibition of weed by the state of California — and how we got here. Mainstream recreational marijuana use began in the United States at the turn of the last century, courtesy of Mexican immigrants coming across the border to look for work in the American southwest. But white Americans weren’t feeling very welcoming and were looking for excuses for their racist hatred of Mexicans, so rumors began that pot gave these Mexicans superhuman strength and turned them into crazed murderers and subsequently laws were passed which clearly were targeted at our friends from south of the border.
This stereotype continued in one form or another and was memorably reinforced in 1936 when Hollywood produced the now comic but seriously intended Reefer Madness which perpetuated the myth that pot drove users insane and turned them into crazed killers. Then along came the ‘60s and the fear and loathing of the God-less, pot-obsessed counterculture cemented marijuana’s fate as contraband (massive lobbying by the tobacco and alcohol industries, among others, contributed mightily to keeping weed illegal).
Nixon formally declared a “War on Drugs,” in the early ‘70s, but it was at the beginning of the ugly 1980s that Reagan amped up this doomed endeavor by passing insanely punitive drug laws that ended up super-sizing the prison-industrial complex to accommodate an “alarming rise in crime.” And, shamefully, America has been overpopulating and overwhelming the justice system and its prisons at a horrifying rate ever since. The toll: billions and billions of dollars and millions of lives hurt or destroyed, primarily because of involvement with marijuana.
Which brings us to where we are now. More people in America regularly smoke marijuana than ever before in history. Weed exploded in the ‘60s, but it was almost exclusively being smoked by people under 30. People in their forties and up comprised only the tiniest percentages of users. Now, people in their teens and twenties and folks in their seventies and eighties – and all ages in between – are smoking pot. Government studies indicate that around 40% of the population has smoked pot at least once, nearly 30 million Americans smoked weed last year and at least 15 million people are regular users. Many believe these are conservative estimates.
Not only is it omnipresent in every demographic but now — having shown genuine medicinal value — marijuana is legal in a growing number of states, where it is creating entrepreneurs, generating jobs and providing needed revenues for struggling areas. By 2020 pot will probably be legal in much of the country and in 50 years people will gaze back at this bizarre war on weed and its cost in blood, ruined lives and treasure and look at us as if we were barbarians.
So here we are in 2013 and the war on marijuana – now shambling around like a glue-factory bound nag – has recently stumbled upon the Perez household to mete out what passes for justice nowadays. Apparently, a vigilant supervisor at the Post Office sniffed out a package that later was shown to contain about six ounces of marijuana. Quickly, a federal search warrant was obtained and an undercover agent dressed up as a mailman delivered the package, which was addressed to the Perez’s dog, Brody. A raid ensued, with Postal Inspectors, drug detectives from the Westshore Enforcement Bureau along with the Rocky River police converging on the Perez home like a spiffed up suburban SWAT squad.
Subsequently, Perez admitted the marijuana was for his personal use and the public roared its anger and displeasure. Many moaned about the arrogance and stupidity of millionaire athletes in general and the outspoken Perez – who had openly criticized Cleveland fans – in particular. Some, with trembling voices, asked the question “What do will tell our children?”
Well, tell them anything you want but of all the unsparing truths regarding the unfairness and harsh vagaries of life and the natural disillusionment that accompanies growing up, the absurd Perez incident doesn’t even make the top 1000. So, if you have a hard time handling this one, your kids may have a rougher road to hoe than they should.
In a front page Plain Dealer article about the incident, there were mug shots of Perez and his wife. (Brody, being still a minor in human years, was spared a photo.) Also on the front page that day was the news that Ariel Castro would be facing 329 counts in the kidnapping case involving Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight. Castro’s picture was the same size as the Perezes.
At this point it looks as if Chris Perez will probably pay a fine of $250 and perhaps do some community service — like signing autographs for kids. This is the kind of whimper the mighty war on marijuana is ending with. Rocky River Police Chief Kelly Stillman said this type of farcical case — which required a federal warrant, an undercover agent and a gaggle of “special forces” — is common, adding, “In the big scheme of thing, it’s a low level misdemeanor.”
No shit.
Larry Durstin is an independent journalist who has covered politics and sports for a variety of publications and websites over the past 20 years. He was the founding editor of the Cleveland Tab and an associate editor at the Cleveland Free Times. Durstin has won 12 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, including six first places in six different writing categories. LarryDurstinATyahoo.com