END THE DRUG WAR- LEGALIZE POT AND TAX IT

Bob Ray Sanders didn't take much of a stand in his Thursday column
"It's past time to end modern-day prohibition." He back peddles by
telling us "he's not a drug user" and despite the title of his article
says, "I don't know if we should legalize marijuana."

I say legalize pot, regulate it for safety and tax it heavily. Thanks
to two wars and the Obama administration's socialist policies, we need
the money.

Estimates show America would collect $10-12 billion per year in taxes
on pot, not to mention the billions we'll save enforcing the law. I
just returned from delivering a speech in Amsterdam, where the coffee
houses are full of pot smokers, and you can walk down the street at
night without fear.

Pot doesn't lead to crime; it puts you to sleep. America needs to grow
up. This is 2010, not 1810. Our puritanical culture is outdated and
needs to evolve into the 21st century.

If we truly are a free country, we should have the right to do what we
want as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others. Instead
of punishing the rich for working hard and being successful by taxing
them to death, legalize pot and other drugs people already use and
slap a substantial tax on them.

We need to stop governing this country from emotion and start leading
from logic, reason and critical thinking. I've yet to see a politician
in Gainesville or the state of Georgia who has the guts to do it, and
that's why public forums like this are critical to our future.

We as citizens have allowed the inmates to take over the asylum. It's
time we regain control of our country before it's too late.

Steve Siebold

Gainesville