The state of Utah doesn’t have a history of leniency on laws that punish what it sees as “immoral” acts, but following the national trend of decriminalizing marijuana possession might be a well-appreciated gift to the public.
While by no means does Utah need to follow in the wake of Colorado, where more than 100 recreational marijuana shops have applied to be open for business, the fact that there is so much marijuana legally available at one of our borders might suggest lighter penalties.
Washington, D.C. is working to make possession of less than one ounce of pot a civil offense, punishable by a fine instead of a six-month jail sentence. Seventeen other states have some other form of decriminalization as well.
With laws varying so much across different states, this can lead to confusion for those visiting from out of state or passing through, who aren’t aware of Utah’s laws.
Six months of jail time is quite a hefty punishment for so small a crime. According to a drugscience.org study, in 2009 those under 25 in Utah are six times more likely to use pot than those older than 25. This suggests that while many youths make the poor decision to smoke marijuana, few continue use beyond college age. The current laws in Utah allow one poor decision by a youth to make that person a criminal, no matter how law-abiding he or she might otherwise be.
Assigning a fine to marijuana still encourages healthy decisions without making a big, reputation-harming spectacle out of the offense. Possession doesn’t have to be a criminal offense to continue to prohibit sales or prevent pot shops from making a home in the state.
When California decriminalized marijuana, juvenile arrests decreased 20 percent. Fines would still be an effective punishment on young people — who have much smaller incomes — who are the most likely to be caught possessing pot. Youths would still be punished, but traumatizing criminal offenses would be saved for much more serious crimes.
Hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, are much more harmful, dangerous and addictive than marijuana, and if the laws are meant to expose harmful substances, then the best learning experience is to have the punishment fit the crime. The harmful effects of marijuana are nowhere near those of heroin, and the punishment should reflect that.
While Utah as a state may not agree with the decisions of other states, it gets no say in what is done outside of its borders on these types of issues. Continuing to keep strict laws only serves to make Utah appear stubborn on a national stage. If the legalization and decriminalization trend continues in the rest of the country, this may only discourage tourism and leave those within the state to be confused by Utah’s harsh, stern view in comparison to the rest of the country.