MEDIPOT SHIFT GETS APPLAUSE

Today we publish your responses to our Question of the Week. We'll
ask another question on Sunday and await your responses. This week's
question: "Last week new U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced
that the federal government would only seek to prosecute medical
marijuana distributors who violate state and federal laws. Do you
agree with the policy change?"

I strongly believe marijuana should be legalized in total. As it
stands, anyone who wants it knows where and how to get it and it is
expensive but tax-free.

Our federal and state governments spend billions each year
investigating, arresting, trying and incarcerating illegal dealers
and users, and what good does it do? Nothing but line the pockets of
the cartels, dealers and many politicians with tax-free dollars.

Marijuana is a weed. I will wager that today's tobacco farmers could
produce it cheaply, and the yield would cost less than a dollar per
pound. And they would produce it without a subsidy.

The Franklin Roosevelt administration worked with the Congress to
repeal Prohibition, and we did not become nation of alcoholics. It
just put the bootleggers out of business and made Joe Kennedy pay
taxes on his Johnny Walker whiskey.

Should more addicts develop than exist today, a percentage of the
money saved from criminalization and tax income could be used for
free clinics and schools for treatment.

Think about it and the benefit it would be to today's economy. Just
getting gang-bangers off the street would be enough.

- - Frank Blades

Rolling Hills Estates

This is a good change. The federal government should be working with
state and local law enforcement to shield legal medical marijuana
distributors from organized crime influences.

- - Craig E. Ward

Redondo Beach