Pubdate: Thu, 25 Jun 2009
Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Reporter
Contact:  http://www.thereporter.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472
Author: Leonard M. Nichols

CHANGING MIND ABOUT MARIJUANA

It is time to stop making the sale of marijuana profitable. There are
several good reasons to do this.

A lot of crime is based on the need for drug money. Criminals who sell
it could cares less what happens to the inexperienced person using it.
The dealers start getting their customers in the grade schools by
giving kids free marijuana cigarettes.

If we made it legal, and users could buy it only in government stores
which collect taxes on sales, then dealers would have no more
customers. With the new government laws on cigarettes, fewer kids will
start smoking. That's a big plus.

This would lead to fewer gangs in town, and the reduced cost of
arresting dealers and users and putting them in jail will be a big
plus. The gang member making a huge profit off the drug will be out of
business.

Also, the cancer patients who need marijuana would be able to buy it
without thinking they were breaking the law. They would not have seek
out drug dealers who take advantage of them, making life miserable.

I never thought several years ago that I would think this way. But
when I studied the probation of alcohol, which created criminal gangs
years ago, it made sense to legalize marijuana.

Now we have the drug cartels, which some people think may take over
the government of Mexico. We must stop that if we can. So let's
legalize marijuana and all of the above will help the state budget.

Leonard M. Nichols
Vacaville
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr