Letters

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009 MARIJUANA Ineffective fight costs way too much I’m writing in response to the Oct. 27 letter, “No good reason to legalize pot.” It’s clear the writer doesn’t have a full grasp of our current marijuana laws, their impact and, more importantly, their effectiveness. While some do argue to legalize marijuana because it’s harmless (it’s not), or to get tax money (correct and logical), it’s not the most compelling reason. The reason(s) is twofold. One, compared to other substances that are regulated for pleasure (alcohol) and prescribed by physicians (opiates), cannabis is less harmful — the key word being less. This doesn’t mean harmless. The second and more important reason is the fact that the federal government and states combined spend $10 billion on enforcement, and by their own statistics they only remove (confiscate) 10 percent of the drug from the black market. Ten percent, yep, you heard it. Ten percent. This has no effect on supply, meaning right now we have a situation where anyone can get access to the drug very easily, unregulated. This is not going to change. It guarantees kids have unfettered access to the drug. Again, 10 percent is removed from the market. What a joke! The producers overproduce to compensate for the confiscations, ensuring 90-100 percent of the demand is met. It’s basic economics. In case you missed it, we spend $10 billion a year to eradicate 10 percent of the product from the black market, meaning we spend $10 billion to Have no effect on supply at all…period ! Regulate it, educate people to the dangers of abuse and the benefits of moderation, and you will see use go down. Brent Durst Woodinville

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