Pubdate: Sun, 29 Sep 2013
Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY)
Contact:  2013 Lee Enterprises
Website: http://www.trib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/765
Author: Joe Depaul

NO LOGIC TO SUPPORTING ANTI-MARIJUANA LAWS

Editor:

For 45-plus years now, I've been advocating the re-legalization of marijuana.

At last there seems to be a light at the end of the long dark tunnel 
of cannabis prohibition for several states have re-legalized medical 
marijuana and two, as you know, have gone as far as to re-legalize pot period.

However in Colorado the state's legislators are working feverishly to 
circumvent the will of the people to insure the cannibus black market 
thrives. One way they're doing this is by imposing high taxes that 
will raise the price of high grade pot to some say $400 an ounce. 
(Black market is around $2-300 an ounce.). So why do this? Well on 
the political right there's A.L.E.C. A pseudo lobbying group that 
represent corporations in writing right wing legislation. Among their 
clientele is Correction Corp. of America, the largest for profit 
prison systems in the U.S. Studies have shown that those imprisoned 
on pot charges are by and large low maintenance high profit prisoners.

Re-legalization would put a big dent in their profit, for about 
800,000 are serving time or about one third the entire prison 
population. Let's not forget the dent re-legalization would put in 
the police industrial complex profits as well.

So why are some against re-legalization? Well it has a lot to do with 
gun control. With over 70 percent of all gun violence being a direct 
result of the war on drugs, and with 85 percent of all illicit 
substance users only smoking pot, well you can plainly see that 
re-legalization would dramatically reduce the scope of this 
unconstitutional war thus a reduction in gun violence. This is 
something the anti-gunners don't want because that would take the 
thunder out of their anti-gun rhetoric for their real agenda isn't to 
reduce gun violence but rather to disarm America.

I've yet to hear a logical or truthful argument supporting anti-marijuana laws.

The bottom line is marijuana prohibition is a violation of our basic 
human rights as in "I own me" and is being pushed on for all the wrong reasons.

JOE DEPAUL

Casper
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom