14. Looking Ahead:

Did you dial her name today instead of her number? Did you lose yourself in your own closet? Did you walk out the door and forget where you were going? You must have been smoking Dealer's Choice. Remember, Dealer's Choice is the dope that, uh, Dealer's Choice is, uh, the dope that is... Dealer's Choice!

— Lenny's scenario for the year 1999

Most Americans who use marijuana are optimistic about its future. With respect to legalization, which is by far the most important question, smokers believe that it's more a matter of when than if and that eventually the rest of the country will become more open-minded on this issue, as it has in other matters involving individual liberties. Aside from the obvious benefits, legalization might also bring such conveniences as freedom from impurities, cheaper and more competitive prices, and, no small matter, some way of knowing in advance the potency and other characteristics of a particular batch of marijuana.
    Those who remain skeptical point out that a decade ago it seemed quite likely that marijuana would be made legal by 198C; having once been proved wrong, they are reluctant to offer new predictions. Still, the reasons to anticipate eventual legalization do seem compelling. For one thing, there has been a steady trend toward the liberalization of marijuana laws and attitudes in various states. In addition there are now more marijuana smokers of voting age than ever before, which means that a greater number of nonusers are now aware of what marijuana is—and what it isn't. During the 1970s, the voting population of the United States shifted dramatically, with millions of young people entering the political process and millions of older, generally more conservative voters leaving it; this has not affected the political system to the degree that some had anticipated, but neither have things remained as they were. Finally, scientific and medical studies continue to indicate that marijuana might not only be less harmful than was once believed but that it might actually be beneficial in certain medical respects.
    Drug educator Laurence McKinney believes that the future of marijuana in America depends upon its social acceptance. He points out that in almost every society in which marijuana has been available, it has been used by two basic groups: the lower classes, who use it as a general intoxicant, and the upper classes, who smoke it as a stimulant. "From the point of view of the middle class," says McKinney, "the lower classes use it criminally, and the upper classes use it decadently." Where America differs, according to McKinney, is that marijuana has become a middle-class activity as well. If this continues, he believes, legalization is inevitable. "Otherwise, if stratification sets in, the current laws will become still more repressive."
    Cynics maintain that in the end it is always financial concerns that determine political issues, but here even the cynics are optimistic. They point out that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year in a futile attempt to enforce the current marijuana laws. Added to the prospect of this huge saving is the possibility that marijuana farming might revitalize depressed rural communities, as is already occurring in northern California. Then there are the huge profits and massive tax revenues that legalization would bring in. According to this view, money will inevitably win out over politics, and legalization will occur sooner rather than later.
    Oddly enough, there are smokers who oppose the legalization of marijuana. This is another generational difference, and the opposition to legalization comes mostly from veteran smokers, who insist that if marijuana were made legal, it would lose its special appeal and become ruined by the twin forces of capitalism and commercialism. "It will become bland," predicts a smoker in North Carolina, "just like packaged bread and low-potency beer." Another argues:

If you start depersonalizing marijuana by marketing it commercially, you'll destroy it. Once something special becomes a routine part of society, accepted by everybody, it stands a good chance of being ruined. It's better to keep marijuana as a personal experience, even if it must remain illegal. It's sort of like religion: once it becomes desacralized and institutionalized, it loses its meaning and turns into empty ritual.