Dear Editor:

The business aspect of prohibition is the main reason our drug war has gone unabated for decades. We have 2.3 million people in our prisons and county jails -- more than any other country in the world. Our prison industry is gigantic. Police officers, judges, attorneys -- many subsist from the misery created by the drug war.

Also, pharmaceutical companies stand to lose billions in revenue if marijuana were legal. They have a lot of influence in Washington, and because of these combined forces, it might be a few more years before we see a profound change in our drug laws.

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