Pubdate: Sun, 11 Jul 2010
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2010 Keith Baker
Contact:  http://www.mercurynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Keith Baker

POT LAWS HAVE KEPT THE PRICE HIGHER

I think the Rand report (Page 1B, July 8) about legalizing marijuana 
misses some important points. Rather than reporting legalization 
dramatically lowering the price of pot, we could more accurately say 
that making pot illegal has artificially raised the price of pot.

This is the very reason why it's such a profitable venture for 
Mexican drug lords to hire people to plant marijuana in state parks 
and private lands here in California. The cost to the environment of 
these illegal gardens is considerable, since proper usage of 
fertilizers and pesticides is not worried about. Runoff into streams 
isn't their concern.

Legalizing pot will once again put California in the forefront of 
social change and demonstrate to the federal government that the 
so-called war on drugs is ineffective and ill-conceived. So there is 
much more to this issue than just tax revenues.

Keith Baker

Mount Hamilton
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake