Pubdate: Tue, 06 May 2014 Source: Providence Journal, The (RI) Copyright: 2014 The Providence Journal Company Contact: http://www.projo.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/352 Author: Jared Moffat R.I. SHOULD HUSTLE TO JOIN THE CANNABIS ECONOMY When something is broken, it needs to be fixed. Marijuana prohibition is a broken policy, and it is time to enact a solution. The "rush" to end marijuana prohibition ("Why rush on pot, Rhode Island?," Commentary, May 6) comes from the fact that we have lived under this failed policy for more than 70 years. We have seen that marijuana prohibition does nothing to reduce the availability and use of marijuana. Instead, it only enriches criminals who sell it illegally in an unregulated market. We don't need to wait any longer to know that our current approach to marijuana is the wrong way to go. From personal liberty to public safety, there are many reasons to support ending marijuana prohibition, but the most urgent one is our state's weak economy. If Rhode Island takes the initiative on marijuana reform this year, our state will soon become a leader in the rapidly growing cannabis economy. Rhode Island should act this year to give our entrepreneurs a head start advantage before other states in the region beat us to it. With hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue at stake, are we going to let irrational fears and dogma stand in the way of economic progress? Let's address the failure of marijuana prohibition and be a leader on smart marijuana policy this year. Jared Moffat Providence The writer is director of Regulate Rhode Island, a group that advocates for legalization of marijuana. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom