Pubdate: Mon, 21 Mar 2016
Source: Rutland Herald (VT)
Copyright: 2016 Rutland Herald
Contact:  http://www.rutlandherald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/892
Author: Tom King

LEGALIZING POT MAKES SENSE

In the oped "Marijuana legalization can wait," the writer states, 
"With legalization the state has the luxury of time," and "In the 
meantime, decriminalization serves as a pragmatic bridge ..." meaning 
that pot is already decriminalized, so why bother to make it legal?

The problem with this way of thinking is that pot may be 
decriminalized to possess one ounce or less, but it is still a crime 
to sell, grow or try to buy it from a drug dealer on the street.

Why have a law that makes something illegal to sell, buy, grow, but a 
civil offense to possess? This is not only illogical, but confusing 
and confounding to everyone.

The writer of this piece wants the state to hold off on legal pot and 
keep the status quo in place. This makes no sense because if pot is 
already decriminalized, as the writer points out, it may as well be 
legal to purchase it from a regulated seller.

This puts everything above board and out in the open. It exposes drug 
dealers for what they are, illegal, back room, dark alley criminals. 
Eighty thousand Vermonters use pot now and they get it from these 
dealers of illegal drugs.

TOM KING

Shaftsbury
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