Pubdate: Wed, 26 Dec 2007
Source: Columbian, The (WA)
Copyright: 2007 The Columbian Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.columbian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/92
Author: Casey Erickson

REGULATE POT LIKE ALCOHOL

Recently I heard a speech about legalizing the distribution of 
marijuana and putting a tax on the substance to raise money for 
government. I have never really been on the "legalize marijuana" 
side. I have always thought of it as a negative drug. After more 
thought and a more realistic sense of what the drug really does to 
your body, I started thinking, "Maybe it should be legalized."

Much as alcohol was available back in the day when it was illegal, 
pot is being grown and distributed illegally today. After the 
Constitution was changed to make alcohol legal again, the illegal 
sale of it was eliminated almost entirely. This made it significantly 
safer to drink alcohol because safety standards were placed on the 
companies that mass-produced it. So why would it not be the same for marijuana?

I do believe that the positives of legalizing marijuana would greatly 
outweigh the negatives. The money raised off a "pot tax" would be an 
enormous amount because so many people seem to smoke marijuana 
regularly. Why not get some sort of positive out of marijuana when 
the problem itself is not going away?

Casey Erickson

Woodland
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