Pubdate: Mon, 28 Nov 2005
Source: High Country News (CO)
Copyright: 2005 High Country News
Contact: http://www.hcn.org/lettertoeditors.jsp
Website: http://www.hcn.org/index.jsp
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3977
Note: High Country News is a bi-weekly newspaper that reports on the 
West's natural resources, public lands, and changing communities.
Author: Grant Wiegert
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

THE WAR ON DRUGS WILL ONLY BE SOLVED IF WE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

The public lands' big cash crop). Sadly, and hypocritically, the 
agencies that are supposed to be solving the drug problem look the 
other way when push comes to shove. They make token arrests while 
leaving the cartels intact to rake in millions of dollars and 
assemble arsenals of weapons.

If state and federal policy-makers had more balls, they would 
legalize pot and tax it, solving their states' debt problems and 
keeping innocent people out of prison. Once pot was legal, Mexican 
cartels would have no reason to grow marijuana on public lands, and 
their weapons, trash and poaching would disappear.

Policy-makers need to focus on more dangerous drugs, such as meth, 
which is tearing communities apart. The danger of marijuana is not 
the plant itself, but the criminal element it draws because we've 
made it illegal.

Grant Wiegert

Benson, Arizona
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman