Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 2010 The Seattle Times Company Contact: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409 Author: Jim A. Doherty Marijuana Policy Reform OFF THE STREETS AND INTO LIQUOR STORES The legislature currently is considering a bill to regulate marijuana ["Time to let pot trade bud legally," NWWednesday, Jan. 13], allowing it to be sold in state liquor stores, and there is now a state initiative petition seeking to put before the voters a law that would allow possession, growing and sale of marijuana. Who would have thought this possible three or four years ago? Sanity should prevail as we consider how to transform the state's drug policies. We don't want marijuana sold on the streets, with no controls on the age of the buyer. We need a reasonable distribution system that includes a tax covering the cost of the regulation and providing funds for drug-abuse treatment. We want responsible people handling the distribution, so that drugs are not adulterated or sold to minors --- and so that all proper taxes are paid. Organized gangs would lose the tax-free stream of revenue that has fueled their growth for decades. Police could focus on more serious matters. The time for change has come, but let's do it responsibly. Jim A. Doherty, former prosecutor and corrections officer, Shoreline - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake