POT LAWS HARM YOUTH

The article, "Breck group files to change marijuana laws" (Summit
Daily, June 13) states the obvious. Of course the police chief and the
DEA oppose decriminalizing marijuana. Taxpayers spend at least $14
billion per year on marijuana prohibition to fund the extra law
enforcement it takes to criminalize marijuana users. It is not a
surprise the DEA and others who earn their living off of marijuana
prohibition oppose reform.

Opponents of reform always claim they are doing it for the "youth,"
when the youth are the biggest victims of marijuana prohibition. The
only way to truly protect our youth from any harms of marijuana is to
regulate it, control it, and honestly educate our youth about it.
According to the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University, teens here report it is easier to obtain marijuana than
alcohol or cigarettes. In countries that have regulated marijuana,
such as Holland, marijuana use for youth is half of what is in the
United States. The current policy has not worked and it's time for
something new.

The Summit Daily tried to portray this issue like there is a real
debate and failed to stress that 72 percent of Breckenridge voters
already showed their support for legalizing personal use of marijuana
in 2006. There is a clear consensus in Breckenridge that taxpayers do
not want to finance the extra time of police officers, the town
attorney and the town court to prosecute adults who make the safer
choice to responsibly use marijuana over alcohol.

The Sensible Breckenridge Initiative is a step in the right direction.
It will uphold the will of the voters, end our town's unproductive war
on marijuana, and focus law enforcement efforts on real crime.

Sean T. McAllister

Local criminal defense attorney
Chair of Sensible Breckenridge