Pubdate: Fri, 26 Mar 2010
Source: DrugSense Weekly (DSW)
Website: http://www.drugsense.org

LETTER OF THE WEEK

LEGALIZE POT; HELP BUDGET, NOT CRIMINALS

By Pete Guither

Our legislators continually shirk their responsibility by failing to 
regulate drugs like marijuana.  Too many kids are smoking pot, but 
instead of taking charge and setting an age limit, our legislators 
have turned it over to the criminals who sell to any age. You don't 
even need a fake ID.

While alcohol sales are restricted to licensed locations at specific 
times, pot is sold on every street corner day or night, because we've 
put criminals in charge.

Hopelessly dependent on drug war funding, some public employees claim 
the drug war helps, but the reality is different.

Under prohibition, arresting a drug dealer is like advertising a 
lucrative job opening.  Now you have two criminals, while we pay 
court costs, room and board for the first one.

It's not like the drug war reduces drug use -- countries with 
decriminalization have lower rates of use than we do, and we had much 
less use and less drug war violence when pot was legal.

What the drug war gives us, in addition to no results at great cost, 
is a jobs program for criminals, prison guards and law enforcement, 
plus drug war violence leading all the way to the deaths of thousands 
in Mexico.

It's time for legislators to stop giving in to the criminals and 
lobbyists at the drug war trough and begin the legal regulation of 
cannabis so we can take back control and de-fund the criminals. As a 
side benefit, we could also dramatically help the budget.

Pete Guither, Bloomington

Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 2010

Source: Pantagraph, The (Bloomington, IL)
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