ONE CARR OVER THE LINE

Howie Carr's opinion ("Sensible pot a half-baked policy, dude," July
6) is nothing but a string of untruths, stereotypes and poorly written
puns.

Our initiative does not legalize marijuana, nor does CSMP condone or
promote its use. Marijuana remains illegal, and the penalty for
personal possession of an ounce or less would become a civil penalty.
The punishments for all other pot-related crimes would remain untouched.

Our initiative will save Massachusetts police departments $29.5
million a year in arrest and booking costs alone - money that should
be used to fight serious and violent crime.

Our initiative will not increase marijuana use. And our initiative
would end the arrest and creation of a CORI for 7,500 Bay Staters each
year, allowing them to move forward into productive lives.

Whitney A. Taylor, Campaign Manager

Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, Boston