LET'S TAX MARIJUANA

To the Editor:

I'm writing about your thoughtful editorial: "Time for a serious talk about
pot" (Aug. 22, 2005).

If 12 percent of the metro Boston area adults used marijuana last month,
it means than 88 percent did not. It seems to me that the 88 percent of
the citizens who did not use pot last month would be very much in favor of
taxing marijuana. Around here, taxing someone else's vice is very popular.
By keeping marijuana as a criminalized substance, marijuana is untaxed,
unregulated and controlled by criminals. Criminals who often sell other,
much more dangerous drugs, and who often offer free samples of the much
more dangerous drugs, to their marijuana customers.

If marijuana were sold in licensed business establishments, it could be
regulated, controlled and taxed and we would close the gateway to hard
drugs like cocaine and meth.

When I was a marijuana user, which is more than 15 years ago, I was
frequently offered free samples of drugs like cocaine and meth. (Back then
it was called speed).

(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.