THE MARLBORO MAN CAN START ROLLING JOINTS

I keep reading in The Mirror reports of people getting busted for
marijuana use and possession. Last issue, I read about a guy getting
pepper-sprayed and tasered. That's got to ruin a good buzz. I also
read that the city denied a business license for marijuana
dispensaries. I am actually all for legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana.

As an ex-abuser who wouldn't go within a mile of anyone toking up,
I'm going to tell you why.

It's all about living in a free market society and competition.

In a free market society the best, which actually means "the
smartest," tends to rise to the top. The people who develop and use
their intellect will eventually find the opportunities and have the
tools to make use of those opportunities to get better jobs, make
more money and therefore live more enjoyable, richer lives. While
money may not buy happiness, lack of money can buy you a whole bunch
of worries and heartache. I'm trying to put together a vacation for
me and my wife to Costa Rica. One thing is for certain: They're not
going to give it to us for free.

Marijuana use affects short-term memory. To put it bluntly, when
you're stoned, you just don't remember in detail a whole lot of what
you experienced. Try reading a book when you're stoned and writing a
report on it afterward. You'll see exactly what I mean.

Short-term memory loss practiced on a daily basis produces a great
deal of memory loss. A person who goes to work and gets stoned every
night afterward is essentially dumbing himself down. He is making his
brain less capable of retaining new information and, well, making himself dumb.

I have no problem with this.

Keep the DUI and underage intoxication Laws and apply them to weed.
Making weed legal would open up a new industry. Don't you think the
tobacco producers would jump on this one as fast as they could build
the hothouses for growing pot? The Marlboro Man will make a comeback.
He'll be red-eyed, giggling and ordering pizza.

As far as the criminal element: Legalizing Mary Jane would kill the
drug trade in illegal marijuana. There's no way small pot growers
could compete with the tobacco industry in producing lower priced
marijuana cigarettes. It would also lower the resources that law
enforcement puts toward stopping the possession or use of marijuana.
It is a win-win situation.

So, if someone wants to remove himself from having a chance at
improving his life situation, let him do it. There are enough people
right now who are out of work, through no fault of their own, who
will be happy to take a pot smoker's place when he can't and doesn't
have the capability of learning the skills and doing the jobs that
bring in the big bucks.

Competition is hell and most of the time it's honest.

America is still a performance-based free market society.

Let the best rise to the top and make the most money.

Let the rest ... get stoned.

B.L. Morgan, Federal Way