Pubdate: Sun, 16 Mar 2014
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic (WA)
Copyright: 2014 Yakima Herald-Republic
Contact:  http://www.yakima-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/511
Author: Dennis E. Hunt

MARIJUANA SCARE TACTICS

To the editor - Scare tactics! The police chief, city manager and
Yakima City Council are on red alert for "more criminal activity"
caused by marijuana.

It's too early this year for any statistics. However, a March 1 Yakima
Herald-Republic article stated there were 360 DUI cases in Yakima in
2013, and just 37 were under the influence of marijuana. That's only
10.2 percent.

Marijuana is not that big of a deal compared with other drugs.
Alcohol, which is more addictive, causes much more crime. Tobacco
causes many more deaths.

Doesn't it make more sense to control the safe buying, selling and
growing? Yes, that's why we voted for it.

Marijuana crimes are small potatoes compared to heroin, cocaine, meth
and even alcohol. Those facts are out there.

But, due to uninformed scare tactics over many years, people think a
drug is a drug is a drug. Not so. Marijuana is one of the least
harmful and the least crime-committing drugs. You will see crime rise
around all the other drugs, not marijuana. It's cheap and not worth
committing a crime over. All "pot shops" will have proper security and
you won't be robbed.

Marijuana is a reality. Let's deal with it safely and
logically.

Dennis E. Hunt

Yakima
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt