We've reached an important plateau in what for me has turned out to be a life-long struggle to end the war on drugs and liberate the recreational drug user from the clutches of the criminal justice system. "Where'd ya get it" has finally become an empty threat — now let's go the rest of the way.

Last word: In last week's Higher Ground, Larry Gabriel reported that "Gov. Arnold 'Terminator' Schwarzenegger signed a law downgrading the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction. That means as of Jan. 1, 2011, petty possession is punishable by a $100 fine and no criminal record."

Larry pointed out that "the Golden State continues to lead the pack in liberalizing marijuana laws," but this approach was actually pioneered in Michigan when the cities of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and East Lansing established the $5 ticket for marijuana offenses in the very early 1970s — oh, almost 40 years ago! —Detroit, Oct. 6, 2010

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