Pubdate: Wed, 09 Jun 2010
Source: Union, The (Grass Valley, CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Union
Contact: http://apps.theunion.com/utils/forms/lettertoeditor/
Website: http://www.theunion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/957
Author: Herb Lindberg

CASH CROP

In my opinion it's indefensible that our Sheriff's department is 
spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every year chasing down 
marijuana patches and pulling plants, about 40,000 recently. The 
Mexican cartel will only plant more somewhere else.

Why are we letting these criminals run Nevada County's largest cash 
crop? Our own farmers should be earning money raising and selling marijuana.

Unfortunately, it's illegal, so the hard liquor industry continues to 
sell its dangerous drug when a much cheaper (when legal), and 
healthier alternative is denied.

A front page article in Wednesday's The Union about the recent 
marijuana raids quotes Michelle Gregory of the California Bureau of 
Narcotic Enforcement, "... [Marijuana farming] is all about 
generating the money. And that money is used to fund the rest of the 
cartel's criminal activities."

This has a familiar, but inverted, ring of statements by Sheriff 
Keith Royal to the effect that marijuana is the drug that starts 
young people on their way to stronger drugs, so we have to outlaw marijuana.

It's the other way around; illegal marijuana is the drug that 
supports criminals in selling stronger drugs to our youth.

Herb Lindberg

Penn Valley
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom