Beer, wine … and pot? The possibility isn’t so terrifying: Editorial Agenda 2014

By The Oregonian Editorial Board

Raking in tax revenue is a terrible reason to legalize an otherwise objectionable substance. But if legalization makes sense without any consideration of cashing in, as may well be the case for marijuana, then by all means bring on the loot. As in, nearly $80 million during 2017-2019 biennium, according to an estimate prepared by ECONorthwest on behalf of the Oregon legalization campaign.

The best reason to legalize marijuana, assuming an adequate regulatory structure, is that prohibiting it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Strip away the weed’s cultural and historical baggage, and you’re left with an intoxicant that is in many ways comparable to alcohol, which is so stigmatized that it’s hidden on supermarket shelves and in innumerable Super Bowl ads. If the state trusts adults to drink beer and wine responsibly, there’s no fundamental reason it shouldn’t do the same with pot – as weird as that concept may be to anyone who grew up listening to Cheech and Chong records.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/07/beer_wine_and_pot_the_possibil.html