Pubdate: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2009 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.tampabay.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: John Kincaid CORRECT THE MISTAKE Marijuana prohibition was unjust since the beginning. With legalization, states could not only right a historical wrong, but also pad their budgets with extra tax revenue from the legal sale of pot. Harry Anslinger was the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a precursor to the modern DEA. In 1929, Anslinger made the case for banning marijuana using statements such as, "Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men." His push for prohibition was successful. In 1972, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse was created and reported to Congress. The report not only recommended decriminalizing pot but questioned the constitutionality of the ban. Nixon ignored the report and pushed ahead with the "War on Drugs." It's time to correct the mistakes of the past. John Kincaid, Seminole - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake