WHY NOT JUST LEGALIZE IT?

Here we go again, spending billions of dollars to eradicate the
marijuana plant.

I've been around marijuana smokers since 1971. I have known many
marijuana smokers. Mostly they're responsible taxpaying adults such
as business owners, college professors, cashiers, a doctor, etc.,
including someone very near and dear to me who has worked government
jobs their entire life, most recently as a highly valued Shasta
County employee for more than 10 years.

The truth is, marijuana abuse (not casual use) lowers your
motivation; that's about it. Anything else considered bad about
marijuana is only because it's illegal. Our children can get
marijuana much easier than alcohol or cigarettes because drug dealers
don't ask for ID. To make matters much worse, marijuana is now being
taken over by drug cartels that are carrying weapons and taking over
our national forests. Every year more and more is being spent to
eradicate these illegal gardens, and the problem is only getting
worse. All of these issues can be solved by legalizing marijuana.

Instead of spending billions to try to rid us of marijuana, why not
spend the money on meth and crack issues, which are a major problem?
We continually see articles stating the value of the eradicated
gardens. Imagine if it were a legal crop. How much tax revenue would
it generate?

Americans from all walks of life are smoking marijuana. We have been
for many years, and we will continue to do so. I cannot understand
why our government continues to sling propaganda regarding marijuana.
Are there any reality-based reasons that marijuana should be illegal?
Please, someone enlighten me.

Pamela B. Bruce

Redding