Author criticizes marijuana policy

Ricardo Cortes, author of a controversial children's book about marijuana, led a discussion at Terrace Club Friday night on the importance of balanced drug education, in an event hosted by Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).

The book, "It's Just a Plant," has attracted widespread attention over its blunt portrayal of marijuana use. The New York Post called is a "pothead parent's dream come true" and Entertainment Weekly labeled it "outrage of the week." It was even denounced on the floor of the House of Representatives, when Indiana Republican Mark Souder said it taught children "how to smoke pot."

Though Cortes claims not to advocate the use of marijuana by children, he argues that pot is an appropriate experience for responsible adults and that the drug war is a failure. "We believe there is a way to safely educate children about drugs by satisfying their curiosity but without piquing their curiosity to try them," he wrote on his website, www.itsjustaplant.com.

The 48-page book begins when the main character, Jackie, "smelled something funny in the air" and found her parents smoking a marijuana joint. The next morning, Jackie and her mother discuss the use of the illegal drug over a bike ride, and meet various users and cultivators.

Although the book is not strictly realistic, Cortes said he hopes families will have similarly open discussion about marijuana, whether or not the parents have tried pot.

While doing research for his book, Cortes said he was shocked by how many parents were afraid to talk to their kids about drug abuse. Open discussion about drug use won't necessarily encourage kids to engage in it, he argued.

Both Cortes and the SSDP, which was founded last spring by Reona Kumagai '06, advocate a "more sensible" education policy with well-informed parents as influential role models. Cortes believes that parents can use "It's Just a Plant" to jumpstart discussion about drugs and deter illegal usage by offering factual information.

In contrast, the government's prosecution of marijuana users has been a flop, Cortes and SSDP members said. Rather then reducing the number of addicted children, they argued, the war on drugs breaks up families and prevents legitimate medical uses of marijuana.

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Kumagai said the SSDP does not condone or condemn drug use. The club was started to promote sensible drug policies that are neither racist nor overly harsh. "I think people shouldn't get arrested for doing drugs," Kumagai said. "The punishment for the crime shouldn't punish people more than the addiction would. Drug abuse is bad, but drug use isn't necessarily a bad thing."

After writing the book, Cortes said he could not find a publisher, and decided to publish it on his own. Of the three thousand copies he printed, only one hundred have not been sold. He said he reordered more for next year, with changes to the illustrations and some of the text.