Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jan 2014
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2014 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Victoria Sadoff

NM COULD PROFIT FROM POT

I APPLAUD SEN. Ortiz y Pino in stepping up to legalize recreational 
marijuana! New Mexico needs to be one of the first and not the last 
to realize the war on drugs is futile! The governor's stance on being 
against it because of her dislike for illegal drug use is bogus. The 
No. 1 drug pushers are doctors and their legally prescribed narcotics.

I do not understand how our governor, nor any other government 
official, can't wrap their heads around the idea that making 
non-lethal drugs illegal only supports crime and violence. How many 
more people have to die for them to see the war on drugs is a huge failure?

Did they learn nothing from our history with the prohibition of 
alcohol? As long as our government keeps marijuana illegal, they will 
enforce the black market's ability to highly profit from it, continue 
the senseless killing and the many lives destroyed by people being 
put in jail and unable to obtain employment because of pot use.

Now let's discuss how we are missing out on a huge amount of revenue 
we could use for our schools. We are last among the states in 
education. Imagine how we could help out our pathetic school system, 
among other things, with the taxes we could collect from the sales of 
marijuana!

The amount of jobs it would create is also a plus - retail, 
contracting jobs, and electrical to run the dispensaries that sell 
and grow. The tourism department would gain big time. Legalizing 
marijuana is a huge asset for New Mexico to pull itself out of a recession.

For those that say pot smoking leads to harder drugs - not any more 
than alcohol does.

Hopefully, Sen. Ortiz y Pino can lead New Mexico into a smarter, more 
profitable future! I don't know about everyone else, but I'm tired of 
hearing New Mexico is last in the economic recovery! I'm also 
extremely tired of government telling me what's bad for me.

VICTORIA SADOFF

Rio Rancho
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom