WHY NOT TAX, REGULATE MARIJUANA

I'm writing about Louise Tempelmeier's thoughtful letter: "Marijuana
operation was serious overkill" published Aug. 4.

Instead of wasting taxpayer money by sending 50 law enforcement personnel
members to dig up 78 marijuana plants, why don't we just tax marijuana? It
seems to me that non-marijuana users would be very much in favor of taxing
a product that they don't use.

Around here, taxing other people's vices is very popular. If marijuana were
regulated, taxed and sold in licensed business establishments like tobacco
products, countless millions, if not billions, of dollars would flow into
our nation's tax coffers.

Then, marijuana would no longer be sold by criminals -- criminals who often
offer free samples of other, much more dangerous drugs, like meth and
cocaine to their marijuana customers.

When I was a marijuana user, which is more than 15 years ago, I was
frequently offered free samples of other drugs like meth and cocaine. (Yet,
I've never been offered a free sample of whiskey or vodka when buying beer
or wine). Fortunately, I turned down all offers of free samples of other drugs.

Unfortunately, many others do not -- thus the gateway effect.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.