BEGIN COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

We have all seen the TV clips of the lady in the coffee shop and the
lawman in the jail corridor asking if we should regulate marijuana.
America has spent billions trying to enforce marijuana prohibition
with no evidence of success and no expectation of success in the
future. In essence, under prohibition, we have abdicated the
government's primary obligation to regulate and control the
production, distribution and sale of marijuana.

Prohibition grants these regulatory functions to violent criminals who
control the market with "law of the jungle" tactics. Drug dealers and
street gangs profit immensely from the production and sale of this
drug simply because our laws prohibit legitimate businesses from
entering the market.

As a result illegal marijuana is sold to our teens by black market
criminals who require no proof of age for purchase. Teens regularly
report that marijuana is easier to purchase than alcohol, simply
because no legitimate business is willing to risk losing his liquor
license for the meager profit from a sale to an underage customer. No
such license to lose for the street dealer.

Can we begin a community discussion on this issue to evaluate if our
current policy is working?

Robert Wiley, USAF Retired

Colorado Springs