Pubdate: Tue, 18 Nov 2014
Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Copyright: 2014 Albuquerque Journal
Contact:  http://www.abqjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/10
Author: Brian Fejer

CHANGE A FAILED POLICY OF POT PROHIBITION

NOW THAT THE voters have spoken, I hope New Mexico small government 
Republicans rethink their lockstep support for the 80-plus-year 
failed big government federal prohibition on the cannabis plant.

In 2010, Gov. Susana Martinez campaigned vowing to repeal New 
Mexico's medical marijuana law, which helps New Mexicans who have 
chronic conditions, or who might be terminally ill with cancer. After 
her inauguration, Martinez relented, saying "We have bigger issues 
that we have to deal with."

In 2014, Martinez claimed that merely reducing marijuana penalties is 
a "horrible, horrible idea"?

Hopefully, she will come to her senses and again realize that our 
state has much bigger problems! We have one of the worst job creation 
rates in the United States. Would a New Mexico marijuana industry 
create more jobs than the Tesla battery factory? Would it create 
revenues to fund initiatives for pre-K education, the mentally ill or 
the homeless? Wouldn't that be the "Christian" thing to do?

The failed prohibition of marijuana is rooted in hysteria, bad 
science, xenophobia and racism - do the research. It doesn't make 
good business sense for revenues from one of the largest cash crops 
in the country to continue to fund and empower terrorists and 
gangsters from Mexican drug cartels.

Common sense would dictate that legalizing, taxing and regulating 
medical and recreational marijuana would create revenues that could 
go to funding pre-K education, along with initiatives for funding the 
mentally ill and the homeless problem in Albuquerque. N.M. 
Republicans - if you claim to support common sense, families, small 
government and economic growth, you're doing it wrong.

BRIAN FEJER Albuquerque
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom