State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, says “in these trying times, $440 million of new revenue [from legalization of marijuana] should definitely be of interest to the Legislature.” Please look at the enormous cost drug use inflicts on society above and beyond the cost of incarceration. Legalization of marijuana is the tip of the iceberg. This harebrained idea has its genesis with a drug culture that believes drug use is “a personal right” and all street drugs should be legalized. The argument that marijuana is no different than alcohol or tobacco is absurd. No one will deny that tobacco use contributes to nearly half a million deaths each year in the U.S. Smoking, however, does not cause psychosis, does not contribute to drug-related emergency room episodes, does not lead to drugged behavior, and does not interfere with ability to make decisions.
Sadly, the use of alcohol and tobacco has become more the province of those who have few financial resources to begin with, and the use of these “social drugs” leaves these individuals poorer than ever and relying heavily on the rest of society to cover the cost of their needs. Where is this cost in the equation used by those proposing legalization?
Sandra S. Bennett
La Center
