In “Say ‘no’ to pot” Wednesday, Bobby Traeger writes about the
potential harmful effects of marijuana as though that alone is reason to keep it
illegal. Well then why aren’t alcohol and tobacco illegal, after all they’re both
harmful to health and addictive?
Alcohol was illegal in the 1919 to 1933 and look at what a debacle
that was. Not only was there a dramatic rise in organized crime, violence and
government corruption but Americans lost respect for law enforcement as well. We’re
repeating the same process and losing once again.
The “War on Drugs” is nothing more than a big government
money waster. Last month the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that nearly
half of all its prisoners were being held for drug convictions. If you believe
in small government eliminating the “War on Drugs” should be one of your
biggest priorities due to the obscene cost in time and resources for police,
prosecution and prisons.
If you’re interested in keeping teens healthy and safe take
a lesson from how alcohol and tobacco are regulated and the success of
education about the dangers of tobacco. We have successful models to use; let’s
stop the insanity of repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a
different result.
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YES!!!! Marijuana isn't a harmless drug- you are right. This is exactly why the commercial production and distribution should be controlled and regulated like alcohol and cigarettes. It's also one of America's top cash crops after three decades of governmental eradication attempts. Clearly, the war on drugs is not working. Our prisons are full, our police force is over burdened. We need to review the lessons we have forgotten from Prohibition. As it stands now, 100% of the proceeds from this number one cash crop go to criminals, including Mexican drug cartels. I'd much rather that money go to businesses that pay taxes to support schools, police, and more.
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