Pubdate: Fri, 13 Jun 2008
Source: Daily News, The (Longview, WA)
Copyright: 2008 The Daily News
Contact: http://www.tdn.com/forms/letters.php
Website: http://www.tdn.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2621
Author: L. S. Wagle

PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK

In 1968 I became, I suspect, the first person in  Cowlitz County to 
publicly say we should legalize  marijuana; 150 locals said via 
petition that I should  be fired as a teacher.

No merchant wants to sell kids beer or cigarettes  because it is not 
worth the hassle; he can make more  money legally. If we totally ban 
booze and cigarettes,  a new Al Capone will come along to bribe, kill 
and  terrorize; total sin sales will fall very little.

PUD rate payers now learn that they financed two major  marijuana 
operations, metal is being stolen, Mexican  cops are being murdered, 
neighborhoods are being shot  up, politicians, judges and cops are 
being bribed - all  because America still thinks it can violate the 
law of  supply and demand.

Worse than meth and even cigarettes, the most dangerous  drug is the 
vast, illegal, underground economy which  encourages still more drug 
use. A government-owned or  regulated monopoly should first set 
prices so low as to  drive crooks out of business and then enforce 
intelligent, flexible regulations to mitigate the  problem.

With 300 million fools in this country, expect no  perfection. 
Mitigation is the best we can hope for.

L. S. Wagle

Longview
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom