Quit paying the DEA to chase marijuana. We could save millions for education (or tax credits, for you republicans). We spend millions locking up Americans for using marijuana. Or as NORML says in a 1999 billboard campaign up in bus shelters around the city, "A Pot Smoker is Busted Every 45 Seconds -- and You Wonder Why We're Paranoid."

An unclassified report by the National Drug Intelligence Center shows that violent crime is not a problem with marijuana, except by the drug runners. Shouldn't we take the guns out of the hands of marijuana street gangs? This link explains a lot about the government chasing marijuana. http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs11/12620/marijuana.htm#Top We could save so much money as a country if marijuana was declared a lowest priority offense. Soon this commodity will be taxed and traded (some coops pay taxes, others don't).

With an estimated 100,000 California medical marijuana users, coops are already generating millions of dollars in sales in California. Are the local cities and counties populace benefiting from an expanded tax base? Shouldn't NAFTA apply to marijuana as well? California could be out of debt in one year if we vanguard a way to protect, regulate and tax marijuana. This cash crop should be harvested by the state as well as the people. We could pay for more police to chase violent crimes, corruption and hard drugs.

California should be in the forefront of the world when it comes to creating a win win situation for the citizens, patients, taxpayers and government of this great state.

See http://www.growingplantisnotacrime.com for more information.

Eric Nielsen - Host of growingplantsisnotacrime.com marijuana advocate for legalization, regulation and taxation.