Pubdate: Fri, 14 Dec 2012
Source: Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, IL)
Copyright: 2012 Daily Chronicle
Contact: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/forms/letters/
Website: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3685
Author: Dan Linn

LEGAL MARIJUANA WOULD MAKE CHILDEN SAFER

While I'm happy to see the city of DeKalb considering lowering the 
fine for small marijuana possession offenses, there will still be the 
problem that this substance is going to be in an illegal market. That 
means that criminals will continue to control the market and sell it 
to kids, as well as lacking any quality controls over the product itself.

The best way to keep this substance away from kids is to legalize and 
regulate the production, distribution and consumption and limit that 
to adults only, unless medical reasons require it for minors.

Criminals selling marijuana do not care how old their customers are, 
but liquor and tobacco shop owners and employees do because they will 
be arrested and punished if they sell to underage patrons.

I urge DeKalb to pressure Springfield to legalize and regulate the 
adult cannabis market like Colorado and Washington state recently 
decided to do via ballot initiatives. How long must this failed 
prohibition go on before parents realize their children are safer in 
a world where this flower is legal and regulated by the government 
like all other products meant for human consumption?

Apparently we have not yet learned the lesson from the Noble Experiment.

Dan Linn

Sycamore

Executive director, Illinois NORML
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom