Pubdate: Wed, 05 Mar 2014
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Michael J. Haworth
Page: A13

ANOTHER TOKE

Gov. Jerry Brown's smooth ride to re-election just hit the first pot
hole with his proclamation that legalizing marijuana might not be good
for, not only California, but the country ("Gov. Brown unsure legal
pot good idea," March 3).

It's those "negative ripple effects." First Washington, then Colorado,
then California and pretty soon the entire country is toking up.
Governor, the entire country already is toking up ... just not
legally. We want it to be legal so the prison overcrowding problem
you've been dealing with will be less severe, and so cops can
concentrate on catching the really bad guys, and so street gangs will
have one less thing to kill one another over.

Brown needs to get out of his protective bubble and look around. The
majority of Californians polled favor legalization. If he stands firm
on this pot issue, his "four more years" could go up in a puff of very
special smoke.

Michael J. Haworth, Vallejo
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MAP posted-by: Matt