BREATHTAKINGLY NAIVE

Gazette Editor Wayne Laugesen's editorial (Dec. 16, "Council rejects
black market pot") is breathtakingly naive.

He seems to think that the legal pot shops have driven the black
market dealers out of business, and if the City Council would have
extended the buffer zone to 1,000 feet (between pot shops and schools)
then some legal shops would be put out of business (true) and illegal
dealers would again start selling to kids.

Illegal dealers are still selling to kids, they haven't stopped. Since
the legal shops have taken business away from them, they most likely
have targeted kids even more than usual, since some of their customers
probably get bogus medical marijuana cards and now buy their junk in
legal shops.

This whole legalization of pot issue has only endangered kids even
more than before since illegal pot dealers need to cultivate new
customers to maintain their market share - kids.

Steve Sinn

Manitou Springs