editorial comment Not only pot my friend

Hurray for Elizabeth Hovde's Oct. 21 opinion column, "War on pot burns time, tax dollars." Finally someone using logic instead of emotion to address the issue of legalization of marijuana. Though I do not agree with her opinions of those who use marijuana, I applaud her opinion nonetheless.

I am one of those who has been arrested and incarcerated for marijuana. I was arrested in Vancouver for growing marijuana for my terminally ill wife without a doctor's signed recommendation as stated in RCW69.51A.010, the Washington State Medical Marijuana Act (though I do have that document now). I agreed to plead guilty and serve 90 days in work release and to pay about $3,000 in fines rather than go to trial and risk losing and having the school zone extended sentence added if I did lose (even though the police found no evidence of sales, scales, packaged marijuana, money, weapons, etc.).

Because of my having to serve time the state of Washington(read taxpayers)had to foot the bill to put my wife in an assisted living facility to the tune of $3500 per month, far more than what Clark County collected in fines. So did this make any sense? Of course not. I was not selling marijuana to school kids or anybody else, and I was harming no one except possibly myself.

It is far past time to legalize or decriminalize marijuana.

Gregory Taufer

Vancouver

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