Tipping point?: Pat Robertson joins crowd eager to end pot prohibition

I have long thought that true conservatives and not just libertarians ought to be drawn to arguments for ending modern pot prohibitions, and the news this week that Pat Robertson joined the chorus calling for marijuana legalization seems to confirm my political instincts here.  This new Time piece provides some context for this story under the headline "How a Far-Right Icon Came to Embrace Marijuana Legalization: Pat Robertson wants to decriminalize the use of marijuana.  Here's why.":

The other day, we got solid proof that the media is biased toward the left.  On a cable-news show seen by millions, a white-haired host declared that although the U.S. has 5% of the world’s population, it detains a quarter of the world’s prisoners.  “I just think it’s shocking to see how many of these young people wind up in prison,” he said.  “And then they get turned into hard-core criminals because they have possession of a small amount of a controlled substance. The whole thing is crazy.”

It’s a sensible position. Strikingly, it came from the host of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “700 Club” — right-wing icon Pat Robertson.  He went on to say that mere possession of pot should be decriminalized.  The 40-year-old “700 Club” isn’t known for advancing liberal causes....

Robertson has crept slowly into his pro-legalization position on marijuana. In 2010, he said on the “700 Club” that people shouldn’t get long prison terms for taking “a couple puffs of marijuana.”  Shortly afterward, his New York City-based spokesman, Chris Roslan, issued a statement saying Robertson “unequivocally” opposes the use of any drugs.  And yet when I spoke with Roslan on Thursday, he told me that Robertson now favors decriminalization of pot smoking.

“If people can go into a liquor store and buy a bottle of alcohol and drink at home legally, then why do we say that the use of this other substance is somehow criminal?” Robertson asked a New York Times reporter recently.  He went on to say that imprisoning people made it more it more difficult to reach their hearts with a Christian message....

[T]here’s little evidence that marijuana is dangerous (and as Robertson points out, accurately, it’s certainly no more dangerous than alcohol).  There’s also a decent body of evidence that pot has health benefits when used in moderation.  In virtually every study, marijuana proves to be far less addictive than alcohol, let alone drugs like cocaine or heroin (here is one good summary — scroll down to the comparative ratings). Smoking marijuana does carry the same risks as smoking tobacco — lung and esophageal cancers — but there’s no good data showing that these risks outweigh the risks of liver problems from drinking....

Liberal advocates who work for a treatment-based approach to addiction rather than an incarceration approach have hailed Robertson’s comments as common sense in the debate over drugs.  But most conservatives have remained silent since his call for legalization. The Christian-right group Focus on the Family released a quiet statement reiterating its opposition to drug legalization.  Still, maybe Robertson’s comments will push some of his viewers to reconsider the hard-line approach to drug policy so dominant on the right since at least the ’60s, when “The 700 Club” first went on the air.  If Pat Robertson can be convinced that marijuana should be decriminalized, that may give cover to G.O.P. members of Congress who are already wavering on the issue.

As the title to my post hints, I cannot help but wonder if (and hope that) Robertson's new advocacy on this front might serve as something of a tipping point on some of the recent modern debates over pot policy.  If pot legalization advocate were shrewd, they can and should see what they can do to make Robertson the face of their movement, especially in places like Colorado where having significant evangelical support for ending pot prohibition might be the key to having a ballot initiative on this front succeed.

A variety of pot legalization advocates have done a good job pressing their issues in various on-line political settings, but the involvement of (one-time presidential candidate) Robertson presents lots of new advocacy potential.  I certainly think all major GOP figures — ranging from candidates like Romney and Santorum to high-profile former candidates like Palin and Huckabee to current leaders like Boehner and Cantor — ought to be asked repeated and pointed questions about whether they agree with Robertson's views on pot policy and mass incarceration.  (Perhaps they should also be asked, with tongue only party in cheek, whether think the Obama Administration's ugly record on pot policy is really just a key part of its "war on religion.")

Some recent and older related posts: 

• Initiative to end state pot prohibition officially makes 2012 ballot in Colorado
• "Record-High 50% of Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana Use"
• Notable new pot legalization poll numbers from two states
• New Huff Post pieces on presidential pot policy and politics
• Two state govs request that feds reclassify pot to ease medical use
• "Marijuana questions dominate White House online chat -- again"
• "Pot legalization efforts forge ahead in key states"
• Fascinating NPR piece on how feds have ended local innovation on pot regulation
• "Obama's War on Pot"
• Marijuana legalization advocate getting warm reception at CPAC