ARCHAIC LAW

So it seems that California's special election was a bust (surprise,
surprise) and we're still without a budget.

Back to square one, and the only thing that changed is that we're even
closer to recession than we were before.

What's the unemployment rate now, 12 percent? The state's hemorrhaging
money at the moment, so it's only going to get worse. With so many
people out of work, I shudder to think how many have gone into
business in the submarket we've created by keeping marijuana
prohibition alive all these years.

Therefore, I wholeheartedly support Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's
initiative to throw out this archaic law. California stands to make
billions by taxing what could easily be our biggest cash crop.

The world of organized crime would take a significant hit when they
lost that resource. New jobs would be created by its legal cultivation
and sale. Imagine how much money we would save in prison costs by
releasing nonviolent marijuana offenders.

We learned our lesson about alcohol prohibition. We repealed that law
and reaped the profits. We've never even considered making tobacco
illegal. Alcohol and tobacco are both much more addictive and
dangerous than pot. When will we learn?

Corin Neddersen

Berkeley