Pubdate: Sun, 06 Oct 2013
Source: Daily Tribune, The (Royal Oak, MI)
Copyright: 2013 The Daily Tribune
Contact:  http://www.dailytribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1579
Author: Timothy D. Collins

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION WOULDN'T KEEP IT AWAY FROM KIDS

I find it fascinating that Mr. Craig Covey would attempt to justify 
his obsession with legalizing marijuana by using the "protection" of 
our youth as a reason.

Mr. Covey states the he believes that the removal of marijuana from 
the underground market and by taxing and regulating it will lessen 
the use by young people. This is quite a bold statement to make with 
no data or studies to back it up. In effect it is simply a gratuitous 
statement that sounds good but has no factual basis.

Mr. Covey seems to believe that if marijuana is legalized, all 
illegal producers of the drug will cease to manufacture it and will 
voluntarily submit to taxation and regulation. I suggest that they 
will not, and they will continue to produce marijuana clandestinely. 
Marijuana is easy and cheap to produce; today's drug dealers will be 
able to undercut the price of legally produced marijuana.

He also needs to understand how marijuana is sold to our young 
people. The problem is that once the marijuana is in the market, 
there is no realistic way to prevent it from being sold or given to 
our kids. All of today's marijuana dealers are responsible for 
marijuana getting into the hands of young people, intended or not.

This circumstance will not change if marijuana is legalized, if 
anything it will make it easier for our youth to obtain it.

If marijuana is legalized, society is telling our youth that we 
advocate and approve the use of drugs. I believe that this is the 
exact opposite of what we should teach our children.

Do we really need another legal drug to tempt our kids? Ferndale 
residents need to vote NO on the marijuana legalization proposal.

TIMOTHY D. COLLINS

Ferndale
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom