BAN A SUCCESS

It is terribly misguided to suggest that decriminalizing or
legalizing marijuana would be beneficial to society.

The marijuana lobby has latched on to the laughable notion that
somehow marijuana taxation will bring needed profits to distressed states.

What stoner would pay taxes on pot instead of buying it illegally or
growing his own?

Aside from that, why add more accidents, medical problems and social
dysfunction to our massive spectrum of problems.

Notoriously, taxes on alcohol and tobacco have lagged far behind the
social cost of such substances. Why would pot be any better?

On another controversial subject, our smoking ban has been massively
well accepted.

I have gone to several establishments to find that all of them were
busy and the patrons were thrilled. Some restaurants have been able
to increase general seating capacity by turning the old smoking
sections into more seats.

The most impressive finding that I have run into was that the young
servers working in the establishments have noted that their throats
don't hurt as much, they don't cough as much and they don't stink
when they get home. Count the smoking ban as a huge move forward for Topeka.

ERIC A. VOTH, M.D.,

Topeka