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harmful any more than when he gave tickets for speeding he spent his time analyz-
ing speed limits. I can t argue with you. I m not a scientist. And I m not about to
chase my tail second-guessing the law until my head disappears up my backside. I
can t find the catsup.
She finds it easily. But you think smoking cannabis should be a crime?
Easy questions he likes. I do.
Apparently most Oregonians disagree. Projections I ve seen have Initiative 82
winning by ten percent. How do you explain that?
Untroubled, he sets the table. I don t.
Frustrated, she sighs, Then tell me why it should be a crime.
Another easy one. Why does he get the feeling he s stepping into a noose? To
keep people from using it.
Ah, deterrence. She smiles. I can cite eight government studies since 69 that
disagree with you. She ticks them off: UK s Wooten Report, the Canadian Le
Dain Commission Report, the Dutch Ben Commission, the US National Commis-
sion on Marijuana and Drug abuse, The National Academy of Sciences Report,
the
Okay. He raises a hand to stop her, Okay, okay, I get it.
By 78, all but eight states had reduced possession from a felony to a misde-
meanor. Ten removed all criminal penalties for anything under an ounce. Carter was
for legalizing less than that. Dan Quayle even recommended decriminalizing.
He was waiting for that. And use went up.
This doesn t faze her. Yes, it did.
He halts, afraid to misstep. Well, there you go.
She slashes the air in evident frustration, No you don t. Despite having the stiff-
est marijuana penalties in the western world, as many or more people smoke it here
as they do anywhere else.
[ 78 ]
S ee N ight R un
He opens his mouth and she cuts him off.
Let me finish. Around the world cannabis use increased from 1960 through
1980
He pounces. My point.
But went down in the eighties.
When we recriminalized.
Yes, when we recriminalized. Captain Ray Gun took command in 80, and ever
since we ve been fighting The Drug War.
He doesn t see the flaw in his argument. So where am I off?
In the nineties, use is up even though penalties for cannabis have been strength-
ened. Between 91 and 95, arrest rates increased 100%. In 95 alone 500 thousand
people were arrested for Marijuana in the US.
Sure, dealers are arrested. He doesn t get the problem.
Almost nine of ten for simple possession. Our prisons are bursting with nonvio-
lent marijuana users and sellers. And, here s the point use is up.
He s not giving up that easily. If it were legal more people would use it. If we
didn t have DARE officers in the schools
Oh, please! There has never been a study of the DARE program which has
shown any effect one way or the other. It simply has none.
Maybe, but
And what rebuts your argument is that in the 11 states that decriminalized in the
late seventies there was no stampede to get loaded. What they always hold out there
as this nightmare scenario just plain didn t happen.
Feeling cornered, he falls back to his keep. It s against the law. Doesn t that matter
to you?
Her face tells him it does. When the Brits ran the salt trade in India, it was
against the law for Indians to make their own salt. Gandhi considered the law
unjust and his followers broke it.
He laughs in frustration. So now anybody with a finger bag is a mahatma?
I didn t say that.
Disgusted with this conversation and with his ignorance, he heads for the door, I
give up, you win. I ll call the kids.
She blocks his way, One thing I ve got to know why do you care?
He wants to grab her, shake her. Because I m the one has to serve the warrant on
you, I m the one has to take your house. Because when you re cuffed face down on
the carpet, pistol at the nape of your neck I m going to have to look into your eyes.
That s why. Maybe I m wrong, but don t people get in trouble for this? Don t they
go to prison, lose their houses, their cars, stuff like that?
She falters. It happens I guess, but only if they re stupid about it.
Ah, yes, here we go. It only happens to somebody else. Every dealer thinks that
until their number comes up. What s that mean, stupid?
Selling to people they don t know. Taking foolish chances. The police aren t going
to come around here looking for a few ounces of marijuana. It isn t like I m growing
it in the garage.
If she only knew how wrong she is. So you think because you live in a nice
neighborhood, have a good job, drive a nice car, you re immune, that it? Police only
bust people on the west side? I didn t know that.
Look, I only sell small amounts to my students, to people I know. How is some
narc going to entrap me? Huh, how? Who could do it?
[ 79 ]
D . W . S T . J O HN
You re looking at him, honey-babe. He s sorely tempted to tell. It sticks in his
throat like a seed.
I don t take chances, I wouldn t with Alexis here.
This is a professor talking? He s known smarter tweakers. Seems to me I ve read
about people losing their kids to SCF for selling drugs. You ever hear that?
Her eyes are worried, SCF?
Services to Children and Families. If she hasn t heard of them, she will.
For the first time fear comes into her eyes, and she moves away from the door. I
would never let that happen.
Her arrogance galls him. He d like to see her try and stop it. That s good, because
I can see how much you love her.
He calls in the girls. Inside, the conversation hangs unfinished, a sheet of steaming
dry ice between them. At the kitchen table, they sit. The girls sense something s up,
get quiet. Three bites and Alexis shoves her plate away, I m ready for my malt.
He makes his face into a thoughtful mask. They might give me a refund, I don t
know.
She rolls her eyes, I m eating. She takes a Godzilla bite, I m eating, see?
Yeah, thanks, Night says, I don t need to see that much.
Jade laughs, then they all do, and somehow the wall between them is gone. He
can t stay mad at this woman. He should, but he can t. Not any more than he can
jump up to cling to the ceiling by his toenails.
A dent in the wall over the kitchen table catches his eye, and he runs a hand over
it. About the size of a palm, it looks as if something bounced off the wall.
Ceridwen smiles. You noticed.
What happened?
That s where I dropped the lasagna when my husband told me he wanted a
divorce.
He looks again at the wall, at her. Dropped it, huh?
She nods. Sure did.
He appraises her, impressed. You ve got an arm. Remind me never to get in the
way when you drop something. You want it fixed, or is it a keeper?
Can you do that? She laughs, waves her hand. Of course you can. You keep
doing things for me I m going to owe you money at the end of the month. She
sighs. I ve got some Spackle, I think.
We ll need a piece of wallpaper, too.
I ve got some.
Finished with their burgers, the girls set the mixer to humming and whining.
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