Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jun 2016
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2016 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Elvia Diaz

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS EASY, BUT IT'S NOT SOLUTION

Legalizing recreational marijuana is just hard to swallow - or inhale 
- - politically and personally.

For some, the issue may come down to moral values. For others, it's a 
matter of compromise for the greater good of society. And to many 
others, it's about a justice system that unfairly targets marijuana 
users, especially minorities.

As the debate over taxing and regulating the sale of cannabis gains 
steam in Arizona, I framed some questions to help me shape my stance 
- - and perhaps yours as well.

What would the initiative do?

Under the proposal, which likely will be on the November ballot, 
anyone 21 or older could possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow 
up to six plants in their homes without obtaining licenses. The 
plants need to be in a secure area.

The plan would create a distribution system similar to Colorado's, 
where licensed businesses produce and sell marijuana and pay a 15 
percent tax on retail sales. The money would go toward public health 
and education, including full-day kindergarten.

Am I OK with selling drugs to pay for public education?

Washington and Colorado, the first two states to legalize pot, have 
indeed collected tens of millions of dollars from marijuana sales 
tax. So, sure there is a lot of money in the drug business.

And in Arizona, there could be as much as $113 million in new tax 
revenue, according to a recent study by the nonpartisan Tax 
Foundation. The money would come from the 15 percent levy on the drug.

"These are dollars that no longer go to drug cartels but instead help 
our schools and local governments provide important services," wrote 
Barrett Marson, a campaign spokesman for the Arizona initiative.

Some proponents of the Arizona initiative point to the fact that 
state government has implemented tax cuts for many years and thereby 
reducing tax collections. Thus, they say, a new revenue stream is 
absolutely necessary.

I agree we must inject more money into public schools, but I can't 
support selling drugs as the answer. Following the logic, there are 
other drugs that could generate a lot more money to pay for 
everything from schools to cops and firefighters.

Will ending prohibition get rid of drug dealers?

Getting rid of underground sales and freeing cops to focus on more 
serious crimes is one of the cornerstones for marijuana proponents.

But anyone who can read knows that the black market is thriving in 
Colorado and Washington where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012.

If approved in Arizona, drug dealers will merely drop the price of 
marijuana to compete with licensed shops where sales of the drugs 
would be taxed at 15 percent.

In a free market, users looking for a bargain will turn to their 
known dealers to buy as much as they need and shop owners themselves 
may become exporters to make a profit.

Will legal marijuana fix an unfair justice system?

The American Civil Liberties Union has long argued that police 
disproportionally target African-Americans, even though they consume 
marijuana no more than Whites.

It turns out, arrests for marijuana possession dropped by 98 percent 
in Washington and 95 percent in Colorado, according to a recent 
article in The Atlantic.

Top law enforcement officials in Arizona and elsewhere say that 
regulating marijuana like alcohol results in more arrests, increased 
traffic fatalities and complicate their jobs.

Well, the issue is not about making it easier for cops to do their 
jobs. But I'm not sold either on the notion that we must legalize 
drugs as a way to fix a justice system where racist cops and 
prosecutors go after minorities.

What's the big deal anyway?

I've asked myself that question many times. And my first instinct is 
to side with proponents who say smoking pot is really not a big deal 
because it doesn't have the same health risks as cocaine, heroine, 
meth and other drugs.

I don't condone marijuana users and I don't believe legalizing it 
would mean people would smoke it around me. I know it would be 
regulated just as tobacco smokers are now at workplaces.

I agonized over the pro and cons because both sides have valid 
arguments. But in the end, I simply can't embrace legalizing any kind 
of drug - even marijuana - that has triggered the failed war on drugs 
in this country and Mexico, and which has cost the lives of more than 
100,000 people in recent years.

Nor am willing to turn to drugs to solve our financial ills and 
problems with the legal system. And you shouldn't take the easy way out either.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom