in my county, there is an effort to expand the civil citation program
so that kids will not be arrested for misdemeanor weed on their first offense.

instead, they will have to go through a treatment program or whatever.
sound reasonable?


surely we all realize that giving a child an arrest record that will follow them around
for the rest of their natural born life-- thus affecting their
opportunities to join the military, get a scholarship, or find a job-- is
a dumb idea.

right?


wrong.

fuck that kid and fuck his future.
an arrest record is a small price to pay. we must continue the war on drugs.


let me back up.
the dude i was talking to seemed well intentioned.
he genuinely believes that marihuana is a clear and present threat to children's lives.
he genuinely belives the benefit of "sending a message" outweighs the dangers
of giving a kid an arrest record.


but belief ain't facts.
and the fact is some ppl will always do drugs,
and arresting them makes their lives worse, not better.
society loses because ppl with arrest records can't be as productive.
even if you feel all drugs are bad, surely you have to admit that getting arrested for drugs makes it harder to kick the habit, not easier.


if we are going to think of the children,
let's think about them in a for real way.
let's not arrest them for getting high.


because that doesn't help anybody.



or do you think it does?

explain how arresting kids for smoking pot is helpful.