Letter: Taxing Legal Pot Would Make Billions
Susan McKeehan
June 17, 2009
Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)
Anyone curious about the effects of legalizing marijuana should read Norman H. Clark's "Deliver us from Evil," a history of the prohibition of alcohol and narcotics ["More are asking: Is it time to legalize pot?" page one, June 16].
Alcohol was legalized — in part — in order to deprive organized crime of money. Over time, the war on drugs has had little impact on drug use.
By abolishing the war we would not only save billions of dollars in expenses, we could earn billions through taxing marijuana. Every scientific study shows that on-demand and court-ordered drug-treatment programs cut drug use more cost-effectively than programs attempting to cut access to drugs. | 
