IT'S TIME TO GET RID OF MARIJUANA LAWS

In his July 16 essay of almost 2,000 words about drugs, U.S. Attorney
Steve Alm never once brought up the subject of marijuana. Perhaps he
was doing something right, and we should now take the word "marijuana"
out of all the federal prohibition laws.

This would save taxpayers millions in police, helicopter, court and
prison costs. Then the state could begin to tax and regulate this
medicinal herb. Drug education would become less confusing, as
educators and parents could then focus on drugs that do destroy lives
and families.

Former Attorney General Warren Price testified that Hawai`i's marijuana
industry was worth $10 billion per year in 1989 - before penalties and
eradication were greatly increased.

This puts its former size roughly equal to the entire tourist industry
here. No wonder the '90s were economic lean years. Restoring our
marijuana industry would really get Hawai`i's economy back in high
gear. Ending the pot prohibition would also help our new hemp industry,
which has already won historic rights to grow the first legal hemp crop
in the United States since the end of World War II, when farmers were
encouraged to grow it in the "Hemp for Victory" program.