TAX MARIJUANA

To The Editor:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer's budget has a tremendous opportunity to benefit
taxpaying families of New York. The closure of eight prisons would
diminish their tax burden by over $320 million per year.

With crime and gangs tied to drugs a new course in the war on drugs
would give an incomparable benefit to not only the taxpayer it would
help cash strapped New York.

I suggest the re-legalization of drugs.

One example is marijuana. It is the 2nd highest cash crop in New York
(hay is # 1).

The tax savings by stopping the arrest of marijuana use would be a
benefit from the state level down to the county level. Less
enforcement, less drug courts, less drug task forces, no need for
larger county jails, etc.

A legal regulated market for marijuana like tobacco and alcohol would
bring in millions of tax dollars to the state. That in turn would
trickle down to the county level. Marijuana presently feeds the
untaxed black-market several hundred million dollars per year in New
York alone. Over thirty-two billion dollars nationally.

The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 made 'certain' drugs illegal,
before that there were no drug crimes.

Larry Seguin

Lisbon