BUSTING MARIJUANA GROWERS SHOWS POLICE FORCE GOING TO POT

To the editor:

Retired police officer Howard Wooldridge's criticism of Norman police
crowing about marijuana plant seizures was right on target..

Talk about make-work projects - the relentless and never-ending job of
police busting marijuana grows not only does nothing to increase
public safety, it also does little to impact the illegal marijuana
trade. If police truly wanted to get a handle on the marijuana trade
they would promote legalization and regulation of distribution instead
of leaving control in the hands of outlaws.

Oklahoma police have been busting pot dealers for decades. But
regardless of how many arrests they make and how many plants they
seize, no one in Norman who wants marijuana has much trouble getting
it. The inflated profits ensured by marijuana prohibition laws
guarantee that supply will always meet demand and that supply will
always outmanuever any police efforts to curtail it.

It's time to end marijuana prohibition and move pot into a legal,
regulated market. Growers would be easy to identify since they would
all do their business in the open instead of behind closed, secret
doors requiring lengthy police investigation to discover. Further,
legal dealers would have no motivation to intimidate or threaten
violence against the citizenry.

Best of all, more police will be available to deal with domestic
violence, sex crimes, drunk drivers and corporate fraud to name but a
few crimes that go neglected when police waste time playing Pot Cops.

Respectfully submitted,

STEPHEN HEATH

Clearwater FL