LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND CONSUMPTION WILL RISE

I have to disagree strongly with Dianne Williamson's column (Sunday
Telegram, May 4) promoting pot legalization.

Let's split the issues of medical use and legalization, because they have
little to do with each other.

Can marijuana be used therapeutically? That's for doctors to decide on a
patient-by-patient basis. Whatever good science supports, seems OK to me.

But how can we go from this issue to proposing that the legal market for
intoxicants be expanded for the first time in our nation's history? How can
this possibly be a worthy goal?

The key suggestion for legalization is that there is more harm done to
society by keeping marijuana illegal than otherwise. That would be true if
legalizing marijuana meant that consumption would not rise. Or that
significant capital would not be diverted to the marketing, production and
distribution of legal weed. But of course it would. You think we have a
drug problem now? Wait until corporate dollars flood into this new highly
profitable market. I would use the current figures related to alcohol abuse
to estimate the eventual impact of marijuana legalization on our society.

It's astonishing how white, bourgeoisie, well-heeled suburbanites are so
involved with their adolescent icon of rebellion that they blind themselves
to the capitalist reality of legalization.

Legal pot means it will be even easier for my kids to get high regularly.
Thanks, but no thanks.