Pubdate: Tue, 03 Sep 2002
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)
Copyright: 2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Contact:  http://www.seattle-pi.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/408
Author: Meril Draper

TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING WASTED ON MARIJUANA ARRESTS

Thank you for printing the article regarding the travesty that happened in 
Tulia, Texas ("Texas town has a one-man travesty of law enforcement," Aug. 
30). This kind of mentality has to stop.

I don't believe in the abuse of any drugs, legal or illegal.

But the abuse of Americans' civil rights is a far worse crime. Just the 
fact that some of these people received up to 90 years is absurd. I for one 
am not happy about paying an average of $30,000 a year of my tax dollars 
for someone convicted of drug abuse and/or use. There are just way too many 
of them, especially when violent criminals get out on parole just to commit 
another violent crime.

Last year, 800,000 were arrested nationwide just for marijuana. A lot of 
them were legal state medical patients. This is a great waste of our tax 
dollars and law enforcement.

Meril Draper,

Brinnon
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