POT LAWS HURT FAMILIES

I understand Alaskan citizens approved a measure to let adults consume
marijuana in the privacy of their own homes. I also understand that
the current government in Alaska disapproves and is trying to get
marijuana prohibited by state law. What I don't understand is why the
government, for the people and by the people, is going against what
the people want - maybe not all, but the majority.

The prohibition of marijuana is nothing but a waste of tax dollars and
police resources. Prohibition never worked for alcohol and it's not
working for marijuana. Whenever I hear someone say, "How did my kid
get drugs?" I tell them, "As long as there is a black market with no
age limit, our kids will have easy access to marijuana and any other
illegal substances."

Sweeping our drug problems under a rug, like prohibition has done,
does nothing to help the problem. As long as we keep hiding behind
prohibition by creating more and stricter laws, we will continue to
give our youth easy access to drugs. We need to bring the problem to
the surface to deal with it. As long as there is prohibition of any
kind, there will be a dangerous and harmful black market to go along
with it. Regulation and taxation is the right answer, not prosecution
and incarceration. Marijuana does not destroy families, Marijuana laws
do!

MERIL DRAPER

Brinnon, Washington