THE COST OF MAKING POT LEGAL

The California Board of Equalization estimates that legalizing pot
would bring billions in tax revenue, which supposedly will be
redirected to drug abuse treatment programs.

However, the most compelling economic argument against the taxation
of marijuana is the skyrocketing societal cost.

We have seen and paid for the effects that tobacco and alcohol have
had on society. If we learn from experience, we can conclude that
marijuana would follow the same path as these other substances,
yielding results that might be worse.

Recently, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment declared that marijuana smoke causes cancer. The board
calculates a 30 percent increase in marijuana use if it were regulated.

In 2005, California spent $44 billion in costs relating to substance
abuse. If you added 30 percent to that figure, it would increase to
$57.2 billion.

The answer to California's financial crisis is not as simple as
legalizing pot. Remember H.L. Mencken's warning: "There is always a
well-known solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong."

CALVINA FAY

Drug Free America Foundation

St. Petersburg, Fla.