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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 10, 2007

Only Problem Is Illegality
Is Bill McCollum a complete moron when it comes to the subject of marijuana or just pandering for the holier-than-thou crowd?

The only problem with marijuana is that it is illegal! My guess is the alcohol trade wants to keep it that way to keep the competition out of the drug trade. Yes, I said drug trade because alcohol is a drug and a much worse drug than marijuana is, was or could ever be.

How many calls do the police get for domestic violence, robberies, fights or other crimes that the person is intoxicated on marijuana? How about compared to alcohol?

McCollum further states growing marijuana is a threat. A threat to whom?

We have friends who just came back from visiting Amsterdam - a mother and daughter. They went into a parlor and enjoyed a legal marijuana cigarette. Big deal. Does McCollum think these people belong in jail or rehab?

Unless McCollum is trying to make alcohol illegal and have the same penalties for possession as marijuana, he is a hypocrite.

JAMES MOLLOY

Pinellas Park

Leave Government Out

Regarding "The Growing Threat Of Marijuana McMansions" (Commentary, Nov. 4):
Bill McCollum almost makes my case. The only thing worse than our current drug laws would be full-scale legalization. The Canadian government already sells medical marijuana at a huge profit. It has a large grow house operation going on underground.

Remember back when "bolita" was illegal? Now, the government runs a state lottery, not to mention liquor and tobacco revenue.

When I was a kid, there was an old man in the neighborhood who made his own wine. He didn't need a large operation to satisfy his needs. If the attorney general proposes to shut down operations that use hydroponic methods because pot is illegal, then he should be in favor of allowing people to grow a couple of plants for their own use.

I am not impressed with the circular argument that "It's bad because it's illegal."

LEONARD MARTINO

Tampa

Harm Is Exaggerated
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum just doesn't get it. Indoor marijuana grow operations are a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Legitimate farmers do not steal electricity to grow produce in the basements of rented homes. If legal, growing marijuana would be less profitable then farming tomatoes.

As it stands, the drug war distorts market forces such that an easily grown weed is literally worth its weight in gold. For an objective take on marijuana, look to Canada.

In 2002, the Canadian Senate concluded that marijuana is relatively harmless, marijuana prohibition contributes to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have little impact on patterns of use.

In the words of Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue."

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington, D.C.

Just More People In Jail

If Bill McCollum wants to throw more people in jail for marijuana, then how does he propose to pay for it? By raising his taxes, raising your property taxes or releasing violent criminals early to make room for nonviolent drug offenders?

The war on drugs is a failed, racist, culture war resulting only in the United States having over a million people behind bars, about half of them for nonviolent crimes such as drugs, and a disproportionate number of them being people of color.

RON KUHLER

Lutz

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.

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