HOLES IN A POT ARGUMENT

The writer is very unconvincing in his key arguments against
legalizing marijuana. Comparing marijuana to alcohol and cigarettes,
he asserts that increased use (because of legalization) would increase
accidents and drive up healthcare costs.

Where is the data that show that? Certainly not comparable with the
data on the lethal diseases that smoking and alcohol cause.

Second, the potential savings in court and prison costs are dismissed.
To me, it is obvious that if marijuana were legalized, many
traffickers would not be in prison either.

Finally, he argues that crime and violence would not go away because
of the black-market value of other drugs. Although that is probably
true, we know that significant crime occurs around the marijuana trade
alone.

Thomas Ostwald

Santa Barbara