LAX REGULATION

In a Dec. 1 letter, Robert Sharpe, a policy analyst with Common Sense
for Drug Policy, writes: "Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most
popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to a
never-ending drug war."

Apparently Sharpe and his pro-legalization colleagues never have
looked carefully at the nation's flawed alcohol-control policies. If
they did, they would find that taxation and regulation are in the grip
of those who produce intoxicating beverages.

Any Missouri state legislator can tell you what the chances are that
the Legislature will vote against anything opposed by Big Beer. Is
there any other way to explain why the state excise tax on beer is
scarcely a half-penny per can and that the per-gallon rates have not
changed since 1971 - when Gov.-elect Matt Blunt was still in diapers -
despite evidence that alcohol misuse, abuse and addiction cost the
state about $3.7 billion each year?

Gerrit L. DenHartog

Jefferson City