The so-called “War on Drugs” in regards to marijuana has failed. We spend a fortune on trying to control it, while at the same time filling our overcrowded prisons with inmates. The only thing that has resulted from all this attempt at control has made growing it very lucrative—one plant is worth $4,000. Marijuana has been around for 5,000 years and it is very easy to grow.
Our state currently has a $15 billion shortfall with cutbacks in salaries for 200,000 state employees. I suggest we legalize marijuana and then tax the sale of it to the max. Stop wasting money in trying to control it.
This article appears in Aug 7-14, 2008.