Pubdate: Thu, 09 Jun 2016 Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) Copyright: 2016 The Arizona Republic Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Author: Elvia Diaz LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS EASY, BUT IT'S NOT SOLUTION Legalizing recreational marijuana is just hard to swallow - or inhale - - politically and personally. For some, the issue may come down to moral values. For others, it's a matter of compromise for the greater good of society. And to many others, it's about a justice system that unfairly targets marijuana users, especially minorities. As the debate over taxing and regulating the sale of cannabis gains steam in Arizona, I framed some questions to help me shape my stance - - and perhaps yours as well. What would the initiative do? Under the proposal, which likely will be on the November ballot, anyone 21 or older could possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes without obtaining licenses. The plants need to be in a secure area. The plan would create a distribution system similar to Colorado's, where licensed businesses produce and sell marijuana and pay a 15 percent tax on retail sales. The money would go toward public health and education, including full-day kindergarten. Am I OK with selling drugs to pay for public education? Washington and Colorado, the first two states to legalize pot, have indeed collected tens of millions of dollars from marijuana sales tax. So, sure there is a lot of money in the drug business. And in Arizona, there could be as much as $113 million in new tax revenue, according to a recent study by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The money would come from the 15 percent levy on the drug. "These are dollars that no longer go to drug cartels but instead help our schools and local governments provide important services," wrote Barrett Marson, a campaign spokesman for the Arizona initiative. Some proponents of the Arizona initiative point to the fact that state government has implemented tax cuts for many years and thereby reducing tax collections. Thus, they say, a new revenue stream is absolutely necessary. I agree we must inject more money into public schools, but I can't support selling drugs as the answer. Following the logic, there are other drugs that could generate a lot more money to pay for everything from schools to cops and firefighters. Will ending prohibition get rid of drug dealers? Getting rid of underground sales and freeing cops to focus on more serious crimes is one of the cornerstones for marijuana proponents. But anyone who can read knows that the black market is thriving in Colorado and Washington where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012. If approved in Arizona, drug dealers will merely drop the price of marijuana to compete with licensed shops where sales of the drugs would be taxed at 15 percent. In a free market, users looking for a bargain will turn to their known dealers to buy as much as they need and shop owners themselves may become exporters to make a profit. Will legal marijuana fix an unfair justice system? The American Civil Liberties Union has long argued that police disproportionally target African-Americans, even though they consume marijuana no more than Whites. It turns out, arrests for marijuana possession dropped by 98 percent in Washington and 95 percent in Colorado, according to a recent article in The Atlantic. Top law enforcement officials in Arizona and elsewhere say that regulating marijuana like alcohol results in more arrests, increased traffic fatalities and complicate their jobs. Well, the issue is not about making it easier for cops to do their jobs. But I'm not sold either on the notion that we must legalize drugs as a way to fix a justice system where racist cops and prosecutors go after minorities. What's the big deal anyway? I've asked myself that question many times. And my first instinct is to side with proponents who say smoking pot is really not a big deal because it doesn't have the same health risks as cocaine, heroine, meth and other drugs. I don't condone marijuana users and I don't believe legalizing it would mean people would smoke it around me. I know it would be regulated just as tobacco smokers are now at workplaces. I agonized over the pro and cons because both sides have valid arguments. But in the end, I simply can't embrace legalizing any kind of drug - even marijuana - that has triggered the failed war on drugs in this country and Mexico, and which has cost the lives of more than 100,000 people in recent years. Nor am willing to turn to drugs to solve our financial ills and problems with the legal system. And you shouldn't take the easy way out either. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom