Pubdate: Sat, 05 Aug 2000 Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK) Copyright: 2000 The Anchorage Daily News Contact: http://www.adn.com/ Author: Bryan Holmes DECRIMINALIZATION IS SOLUTION It seems to me that a majority of pro-hemp activists believe that legalized marijuana would help the state's budget deficit. I seriously doubt if most of these people are that interested in the state's budget, but are using this platform to further their own agendas. Here we are again, back to logic based on economics and not the real issues. It's sad that we live in a world that judges success largely on a high rate of economic expansion. One of the concerns of marijuana legalization in America is adding another drug on top of other legal recreational drugs. These legal, commercial, recreational drugs have plenty of their own problems affecting society as it is. I believe that the best path to take with marijuana is full decriminalization. I do not support commercial marijuana. Let's leave these decisions up to the "free" people of America, not play into our greed and drilling consumers, especially children, with marijuana propaganda. I admit that this is not the path of least resistance. This path will end the disturbances due to marijuana prohibition and let people legally act as they wish because they are doing it anyway. For you skeptics, read the most recent research. The scientific society and governing bodies are in serious disagreement about the effects of marijuana use. Marijuana is proven to be considerably less toxic than alcohol. Who should we trust more, people who do research on marijuana or people who do not? Let's work to clear the haze which is the issue of marijuana prohibition. - -- Bryan Holmes, Eagle River - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck