The marijuana debate: Welcome progress
Pittsburgh TribLive

From Maine to California, muddled thinking over the use of marijuana, medical and otherwise, finally is beginning to clear, giving way to reason over its future use.

Fourteen states are moving to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. In Maine, residents have overwhelmingly voted to allow the sale of medical marijuana over the counter. And in California, signatures are being collected to put legalization before voters next year.

It's estimated that taxing and regulating pot, much like cigarettes and alcohol, could raise $1.3 billion in California alone.

In Los Angeles, where medical marijuana dispensaries have opened, experts say more violence stems from its prohibition than from its use.

From federal regulators to the American Medical Association, the mind-set over marijuana's use gradually is changing -- and for good reason. Notes a spokesman for one marijuana advocacy group, "(T)here's a reason you don't have Mexican beer cartels planting fields of hops in the California forests."

As we've stated before, the production and use of marijuana should be fully legalized with the same prohibitions against use by minors. The only "refer madness"reefer madness is to continue the indefensible status quo that costs taxpayers billions in related enforcement costs while funding organized crime and violence on a massive scale.

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