GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE INDUSTRY SHOULD REGULATE, TAX MARIJUANA

In response to Doug Brackett's question June 19 about how marijuana
legalization would work, there are only three basic options for who
would sell it:

1) Government, with proper regulations and taxes to address the social
issues.

2) Private industry, with proper regulations and taxes to address the
social issues.

3) Organized crime, with no regulations or taxes to address the social
issues.

Whatever difficulties we may have in working out the details, it seems
clear that either of the first two options is better than leaving it
in the hands of organized crime.

Of course, this is the same lesson we learned about alcohol during
alcohol prohibition.

Clifford Schaffer

Agua Dulce, Calif.