Wyche: Marijuana Legalization Sends Wrong Message

Sam Wyche believes that recent efforts to legalize or decriminalize marijuana in states delivers the wrong message to young people.

The former county councilman is the chairman of the Steppin' It Up Coalition, which aims to keep drugs and alcohol out of young hands.

The coalition is using more than $500,000 in Department of Justice Drug-Free Communities grant funding to spread its message.

“There's states now that have legalized marijuana,” Wyche said. “It seems to be a movement, it seems to be being considered by almost of all of the states.”

That movement gives “a license to kids,” regarding drug use, Wyche said.

“To say, not only can you do it, but it's okay to do it, no problem, you'll be all right,” he said. “Well, we know that's not true.”

He said he feels no one is trying to counter that message, especially at the federal level.

“We have nobody suppressing that right now, certainly not at the national level,” Wyche said. “And at the state level, it's almost hands off, because you don't want to offend the federal government because they feed you money at the state and local levels. It's a very touchy things.”

That leaves the work up to the Steppin' It Up Coalition and groups like it, he said.

“(Groups) that are able to get into kids' brains and hit them before, you know, they're already part of it,” Wyche said.

A substitute teacher in the School District of Pickens County, Wyche says he often smells pot in the parking lots of area schools.

“It's there,” Wyche said. “They're getting high before they go to school. It's probably a small percentage, but they influence their buddies.”