LEGALIZATION WILL NOT RUIN APPEAL OF MARIJUANA USE

Ben Badio, you must be high. In your article "Legalizing marijuana
will ruin a great culture," you says that marijuana smokers are, "Some
of the nicest, most intelligent people" you know. But you stand in
favor of keeping marijuana illegal because marijuana culture, with all
its nefarious thrill, could be jeopardized. That's obviously false and
selfish. Marijuana culture is a mish-mash of countercultures from
yesteryear and a few great bands - if pot is legal those relics aren't
going anywhere. But the nice, intelligent friends of yours will be
going somewhere if they're caught smoking pot.

The penalty for possession in Florida is up to a year in jail. And in
2007, Florida reported 169,360 drug arrests, the largest of any
category of kind of arrest, and the largest portion of those were for
marijuana. We needn't detail what happens to the nice, intelligent
young men who go to jail in Florida, right? Put down the bong and get
a grip of public policy for more than your own selfish
indulgences.

Dominic Holden