Letter to the Editor: Waiting to inhale
BY Kent Schobe, Tulsa
Sunday, December 16, 2012
12/16/12 at 3:16 AM
In a recent Tulsa World article, the Associate Press reported that "legal marijuana poses new dilemma." Now that the states of Washington and Colorado have legalized smoking pot, consternation arises about conflicts with federal law and regulations.
My personal view is that over time more states will legalize pot, which eventually will compel our federal government to deal with the issue and legalize it also. Like it or not, even the state of Oklahoma has a difficult time convicting and incarcerating pot smokers for mere possession.
What is particularly intriguing, if not appealing, are the potential tax windfalls coming from marijuana sales. As the AP reported about the state of Washington alone: "The marijuana will be taxed heavily, with revenues possibly reaching hundreds of millions of dollars a year for schools, health care, basic government services and substance abuse prevention."
Currently we waste too much effort and law enforcement keeping people from something they want, in spite of preventative measures.
Let's save unwanted court time and instead legalize marijuana and tax it heavily.
Letters to the editor are encouraged. Send letters to letters@tulsaworld.com.
Associated Images:
A caregiver picks out a marijuana bud for a patient at a marijuana dispensary in Denver. Colorado and Washington voterspassed amendments on Nov. 6 legalizing recreational use of marijuana in small doses. ED ANDRIESKI/Associated Press file
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