Regarding the editorial "Pot or not?" (Nov. 16):

As a sitting chief of police in Missouri, I've seen the rift that our failed marijuana policy continues to create between peace officers and the citizens we serve. Young people aren't prevented from getting marijuana now, because drug dealers don't have to ask for an ID. Families are torn apart, parents lose their children, and racial minorities are arrested and incarcerated for marijuana far more often than whites.

Continuing to arrest nonviolent, responsible, adult marijuana users is generating public distrust of their police. This makes it very difficult to do our job of protecting communities and solving crimes.

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