Re: 'Pot must not be supported', Dec. 3.

I must agree with the letter writer that marijuana is indeed a "gateway" drug. Very easily said, but the reason that this is a fact, I believe, is more complex than such a simple statement.

The problem is rooted within the law itself.

If pot was not prohibited, it would not be sold by criminals, but by licensed retailers.

Licensed retailers are not likely to offer the customer a piece of crack cocaine; on the other hand someone that makes a living selling illegal goods is quite likely to offer your kids a taste of something deadly. Or for that matter they might offer to sell them 'hot' merchandise, ultimately desensitizing our youth to the evils of real crime.

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