Pubdate: Wed, 09 Nov 2005
Source: Fort Worth Weekly (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Fort Worth Weekly
Contact:  http://www.fwweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1278
Author: Kirk Muse
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1642.a01.html

WEEDING OUT CRIME

To the editor:

Regarding Ben South's thoughtful comments on drug legalization (Letters,
Oct. 19, 2005): We don't need to legalize all drugs, all at once. If we
regulate, control, and tax the sale of marijuana to adults and sell it in
licensed business establishments, most of our "drug problems" will
disappear.

I submit that the vast majority of drug users would use only marijuana
if it were available at an affordable price - but it's not. During the
early 1970s marijuana sold for $10 to $20 an ounce. Now the price is
about $300 - the result of the "prohibition tax," which goes to criminals.

If a beer drinker cannot get any beer, he switches to another
alcoholic beverage. When marijuana users cannot obtain marijuana at an
affordable price, many switch to other drugs, such as meth, buying
from criminals who often sell many drugs and often give out free
samples of their other wares, creating the so-called "gateway effect."
If marijuana were legally available in licensed business
establishments as tobacco and alcohol are, our meth problem would be a
tiny fraction of what it is today.

Our counterproductive drug policies have made the least toxic drug the
most expensive and the most toxic drug the least expensive.

Kirk Muse
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin