Pubdate: Wed, 02 Mar 2005 Source: Norman Transcript (OK) Copyright: 2005 The Norman Transcript Contact: http://www.normantranscript.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/552 Source: Tri-Town Transcript (MA) Copyright: 2005, Tri-Town Transcript Contact: http://www.hiasys.com/contactus/contactus.html Website: http://www.townonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2643 Author: Stephen Heath BUSTING MARIJUANA GROWERS SHOWS POLICE FORCE GOING TO POT To the editor: Retired police officer Howard Wooldridge's criticism of Norman police crowing about marijuana plant seizures was right on target.. Talk about make-work projects - the relentless and never-ending job of police busting marijuana grows not only does nothing to increase public safety, it also does little to impact the illegal marijuana trade. If police truly wanted to get a handle on the marijuana trade they would promote legalization and regulation of distribution instead of leaving control in the hands of outlaws. Oklahoma police have been busting pot dealers for decades. But regardless of how many arrests they make and how many plants they seize, no one in Norman who wants marijuana has much trouble getting it. The inflated profits ensured by marijuana prohibition laws guarantee that supply will always meet demand and that supply will always outmanuever any police efforts to curtail it. It's time to end marijuana prohibition and move pot into a legal, regulated market. Growers would be easy to identify since they would all do their business in the open instead of behind closed, secret doors requiring lengthy police investigation to discover. Further, legal dealers would have no motivation to intimidate or threaten violence against the citizenry. Best of all, more police will be available to deal with domestic violence, sex crimes, drunk drivers and corporate fraud to name but a few crimes that go neglected when police waste time playing Pot Cops. Respectfully submitted, STEPHEN HEATH Clearwater FL - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)