YES -- ALMOST

Your editors almost got it right. The marijuana laws were based on
racism, ignorance, and nonsense from the very beginning. Every major
study of drug laws from around the world over the last 100 years
agrees that marijuana prohibition does more harm than good. You got that right.

However, keeping sales illegal simply means that organized crime will
have a monopoly on a multi-billion dollar market. There are really
only two choices for sales of marijuana. Either the Mexican drug
lords get tens of billions of dollars per year, or that money could
go to law-abiding American citizens. It is the same choice we had
with beer -- Al Capone or Anheuser-Busch.

Marijuana is now de facto legal in California. As a result of the
medical marijuana law there are now hundreds of stores openly selling
marijuana. They have regular storefronts in strip malls. They
advertise marijuana specials in the newspaper. Some have neon signs
in the window. Any adult who wants marijuana only needs a doctor's
recommendation to shop in the stores. Recommendations are about $100
and no adult who asks is refused.

Some stores have done $50 million in business from a single location
in a single year. The stores pay an estimated $100 million per year
in sales taxes.

The big news is that it isn't a problem. None of the predicted
calamities happened. It isn't bothering most people and support for
the medical marijuana law is now higher than when the law was passed.

Clifford A. Schaffer Director, DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy
Agua Dulce, CA