Get Active Subscribe Support Us

KEEPING MARIJUANA ILLEGAL DOESN'T WORK

EDITOR:

This is in response to County Attorney Sheila Polk's Talk of the Town on Saturday, Sept.  7 and the addictive perils of marijuana usage, especially for young people.

Marijuana remains a federally proscribed schedule 1 controlled substance ( 1970 ) and is illegal for anyone of any age to use.  Medical usage still remains under federal jurisdiction.

Although pot remains illegal, Polk's sincere and comprehensive article illustrates that in practice this hasn't necessarily worked, but that the alternative of legalization would be worse.  Educational efforts and awareness of the hazards of any drug use will be successful for everyone; scare tactics and demonizing pot - a universally utilized plant for thousands of years - is also not effective.  Anything that can be abused will be abused but this doesn't mean it must be banned.

The 43-years-failed "War on Drugs," costing taxpayers in excess of one trillion dollars, has mostly provided the countless vested interests - drug dealers, law enforcement agencies, some members of the legal profession, the prison system, the alcohol industry, etc.  with a built-in, almost limitless stream of revenue.  Maintaining pot's illegal status is financially rewarding.

My simple and unoriginal suggestion is to legalize/decriminalize marijuana for adults who would like to exercise free choice.  Pot can then be taxed and regulated just as alcohol and tobacco - both hazardous drugs - are.

Keeping pot illegal doesn't work; young people can obtain pot regardless of its legal status.  Alcohol prohibition didn't work - except for institutionalizing organized crime - during the 1920s and pot prohibition only works for the benefit of those who continue to profit directly and indirectly from maintaining this otherwise failed, hypocritical government policy.

Bob Gordon

Kirkland