Pubdate: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2009 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: F. Aaron Smith Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority PROHIBITION HAS FAILED It's unfortunate that the entrenched drug warriors who've expressed their blind opposition to Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's legislation to regulate and tax marijuana couldn't have given this proposal more thought before spewing their old, stale talking points. For example, the response from Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, that perhaps the state's largest cash crop should be taxed is: "I think substance abuse is just ruining our society." I'm not so sure that our society is already in ruin, but this generalization about "substance abuse" ignores the fact that marijuana is far less toxic or addictive than legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco. The most serious harm comes not from marijuana itself but from laws that have given criminals a monopoly on its production and distribution - enjoying tax-free income while they damage our environment and make marijuana far more easily available to kids than it would be under a regulated system. Marijuana prohibition has been a dismal failure. It's time we try a new approach and Assembly Bill 390 is a step in the right direction. F. Aaron Smith California Policy Director, Marijuana Policy Project Santa Rosa - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin