TIME FOR OHIO TO ENACT SENSIBLE MARIJUANA LAWS

Regarding Dick Feagler's Sept. 7 column "Feds swat pot to keep vice
market cornered":

Feagler hit the nail on the head. He has the guts to say what most
government agencies and elected officials won't: The whole war on
marijuana is a complete failure.

As federal and state officials are busy tearing pot plants out of our
ground, marijuana continues to flow in from Mexico. Someday, someone
in a position of power will realize that our efforts to eradicate
marijuana are just diverting U.S. dollars to Mexico.

In Ohio, we have some of the most schizophrenic laws in the country.
Private use is, for the most part, decriminalized, resulting in a
ticket of no more than $100. Despite this lax policy, Ohio's marijuana
use rates are on par with the rest of the country.

Since we recognize marijuana use as a relatively minor infraction,
then you would think that producing it would at least only constitute
a misdemeanor. Not so here in Ohio, where you can end up spending a
lot of time in prison for cultivating marijuana in any quantity.

Like Feagler, who related it to the numbers racket, the only way Ohio
makes any money on marijuana now is by fining the people who sell it.
After figuring in all the time and money spent prosecuting this stupid
war, I bet Ohio is on the losing end.

Most everyone knows somebody who smokes marijuana, and the vast
majority of these people live normal lives. It's high time that some
politician steps up to the plate and tells America the way it really
is with regard to marijuana. It's time to legalize responsible adult
use.

Joseph Zoretic

Lodi

Zoretic does public relations for the Northeast Ohio NORML chapter.