Your Opinion: Response to editorial on marijuana legalization

Dear Editor:

The News Tribune published a remarkably simple-minded, condescending editorial about marijuana law reform on Jan. 23.

The editorial begins by assuming that those who are advocating marijuana law reform are also encouraging, promoting and advocating marijuana use. That is simply false.

Just as many who did not use alcohol saw the shortcomings of alcohol prohibition many who will never use marijuana can see that our present policy is foolish, counterproductive and doomed to fail.

Marijuana prohibition has failed for many of the same reasons alcohol prohibition did. By any rational measure marijuana is far safer than alcohol.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 58 percent of American adults agree that taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol makes sense.

Rather than wringing its hands about a society of "passive, submissive, drug-addicted zombies" the editor of the News Tribune should look to the example of Colorado to see what really happens when marijuana is taxed and regulated.

During the first year of full legalization in Colorado crime, traffic fatalities and use by teenagers are all down.

I am sure that the News Tribune will eventually join other fine newspapers like the New York Times, St. Louis Post Dispatch and Columbia Daily Tribune all of which endorse repealing marijuana prohibition.

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