LEGALIZATION HAS A SELF-DEFEATING PURPOSE

The article [editorial] entitled, "Finance the bailout: Legalize
weed", was published on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. It argued that
legalizing marijuana would benefit the government by reducing costs
on drug control and police resources, and could even be used as a
source of tax income.

According to the article, the market on legalizing marijuana would
bring "between 2.4 billion dollars and 6.2 billion dollars in tax
revenues" which would easily counterbalance the 8 billion dollars
spent annually on law enforcement. I feel that they are overlooking
the fact that if marijuana were to be legalized, there would no doubt
be a mass surge of people buying the drug, which would lead to bigger
problems. Instead of drunk driving, people may be driving while high,
which would still call for police intervention, not to mention the
possibility of violence and vandalism while high.

All of these factors would add to the workload of the police force,
which would raise their costs. This seems to be a self-defeating purpose.

The author also refers to marijuana as being a "healthier
alternative" to cigarettes. This is supposed to be supportive of
legalizing marijuana, but even though it is not as bad for some
aspects of physical health it still takes a toll on a person's mind
and body. Though there are no known deaths from marijuana overdoses,
but accidental death does occur when a person is high.

Legalizing marijuana and using it as just another source of income,
despite the massive pitfalls it presents, would equal to nothing more
than becoming a petty drug lord looking to make a quick buck on a
booming industry. I believe that the affect of people and not pocket
books should be what drive the decision to legalize or ban marijuana.
Once money takes precedent over the health and safety of people it
sets precedent for a downward spiral in which the ends always justify
the means.

Courtney Redman