LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND BE DONE WITH IT

So the new legislation "that would allow those caught with small
amounts of marijuana to avoid punishment altogether if they can
convince a judge that they used the drug out of medical necessity" is
supposed to be a "middle ground on marijuana?" Get real. This is yet
another excuse to put off what should have been done long ago:
legalization, not just for medicinal use, but for all citizens.

The fact of the matter is that marijuana is safer than alcohol or
tobacco, yet its use can cause one to lose their job, be expelled from
schools and universities, and even land in jail. We spend an enormous
amount of money to enforce marijuana laws, as evidenced by the 759,593
arrests for possession alone in 2009. That translates to huge sums of
money spent on unnecessary law enforcement and a prison population
filled with people who are hardly criminals (and are forced to survive
in a system that only creates more criminals). Regulation would also
bring in a new source of tax revenue, as well as taking a huge cash
crop away from drug cartels that terrorize Mexico and other parts of
the world.

So please, don't insult our intelligence by telling us that the
proposed legislation is a "middle ground." We shouldn't even have to
establish a middle ground. The support for legalization is based in
fact, while its opponents have long used fear and lies at a great cost
to our society.

Joel Beller, Owings Mills