NEVADA'S BRIGHT IDEA

I was pleased to read the Sept. 14 wire-service article concerning Nevada's
efforts to legalize limited quantities of marijuana for adults'
recreational use [A ballot question to that effect is on the Nov. 5 ballot
in the state]. The Nevada proposal for dealing with marijuana use is
reasonable and responsible. It would cut down on both illegal drug
trafficking and waste of law enforcement resources, while grossing a ton of
money for the state.

As the nation's war against tobacco rages on, we might recognize this as a
viable option for the future for North Carolina. We can't deny that the
demand for tobacco, a staple of our state's economy and culture, dwindles
due to health risks and sky-high tax increases. If we were to pass a law
legalizing marijuana, agriculture would boom, filling fallow tobacco fields
with a new cash crop, not to mention what the use of industrial hemp could
do for the textile industry.

Marijuana is everywhere and is just about as accessible, to adults and
kids, as alcohol and tobacco, and is far less dangerous. We should be
realistic about the future of North Carolina's economy and acknowledge the
presence of a century-old plant that we can spend millions fighting, or
make millions utilizing.

Jon Kirby

Chapel Hill