Pubdate: Sat, 21 May 2016
Source: Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH)
Copyright: 2016 Times Recorder
Contact: http://static.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/contact/
Website: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2740
Author: Gary Woodburn

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA BASED ON WAR ON DRUGS FAILURE

The House just passed a medical marijuana measure and an initiative 
will likely be on the ballot in November. While I believe marijuana 
should be legalized, this initiative and the legislation being 
considered by the Senate should be rejected since people who don't 
use marijuana will be forced to pay taxes to support a state 
commission the law creates. We already have too many bureaucrats in 
Columbus to support. Too often politicians create high-paying jobs 
for their friends, at taxpayers' expense, by creating new state 
agencies when we urgently need to prune the bloated state government.

Medical marijuana, Marinol, is already available by prescription so 
why is this initiative or legislation needed?

I, however, favor the legalization of marijuana since the war on 
drugs does not impede drug use significantly, is costly, has 
militarized the police and has caused innocent people to suffer. For 
example, there have been incidents where police officers have made 
"no knock" raids on the wrong house and shot an innocent home owner 
or pet. Recently a church bus was stopped for a broken tail light and 
the police confiscated the large charitable donations of cash without 
any indication of a drug crime. Police are allowed to seize property 
without charging the person who owns the property with a crime and 
this has had a corrupting influence on police. The church had to ask 
the Institute for Justice for help so have the money returned.

Our government is not competent to wage a war on anything which is 
illustrated by federal drug enforcement officials who encouraged the 
sale of guns to the Mexican drug cartel and these guns were used in 
the murder of a border control agent and numerous people in Mexico.

Gary Woodburn

Zanesville
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom