LET'S LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN STATE

A new survey conducted by the National Association of Counties polled
law enforcement agencies in 500 counties in 45 states. Fifty-eight
percent of those agencies ranked methamphetamine as their worst
illegal-drug problem.

If a majority of local law enforcement officials say methamphetamine
is the biggest illegal drug problem they face, why is the national
drug-use prevention effort focused most on marijuana, one might ask?
The reason is job security.

Back in the 1990s, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Office of
National Drug Control Policy got failing grades by the General
Accounting Office because they were unable to show that they were
accomplishing anything. The White House set a new goal for the ONDCP:
reducing (by specific percentages) the number of illegal drug users
in the United States.

Since there are more marijuana users than users of all other illicit
drugs combined, the ONDCP focused their resources on pot smokers in
order to inflate their numbers and keep their $11 billion annual budget intact.

Maybe it is time for states to craft their own drug policies. Let's
lead the way in Alabama by taxing, regulating and controlling
marijuana so that our cops will be able to focus their very limited
resources on real problems.

LORETTA NALL

Alabama Marijuana Party

Montgomery