Letter to the Editor

'Illegal' marijuana sales in Colorado increasing

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Dear Editor,

With the legalization of the purchase of legal marijuana with ID, there has been an unexpected increase in the illegal underground. And with it the rate of crimes such as road rage, drive-by shootings, theft and burglary, homeless drug addicts and the increase of persons with criminal backgrounds, and outstanding warrants from other states who carry No ID. Why?

I was surprised to learn this. True, I have watched cop shows on TV and was always amazed and wondered when a cop pulled over a person that had no ID. In my world everyone has ID. Why not?

The free use of marijuana in Colorado attracts users from all classes of society. The biggest increasing demographic are those with a criminal record. They can’t buy legal, their ID would lead them to be arrested on all their outstanding warrants. Eventually fingerprinting will ID them, but by not carrying ID they believe they can run and have a better chance to get lost in the crowds.

Parks have become lounging areas day and night for these individuals and unsafe places for children to play. A few libraries, because they are public and anyone can go there, is where they also hang out to enjoy the A/C in summer or heat in winter.

Paraphernalia is left on shelves or they sit in aisles on the floor between the rows of books to relax. It has become unsafe for your children to even go to the library.

In the Bible when the laws of the land were changed to accommodate culture or the lust of Kings, or the cruelty of man, the land became an unsafe place.

There is nothing new under the sun, why are we always shocked? I was. Underground pot sales in Colorado are the highest they have ever been. You do not need an ID and they do not care who you are or what your record is. All legal sales require an ID. The clientele of illegal sales are those with records.

As Nebraska considers making marijuana legal here, they need to be aware that the underground illegal sales will skyrocket and the clientele that supports it.

Is seeking tax revenue worth the side culture?

Mona Anderson,

McCook, Neb.

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I haved lived in Denver for the majority of my life. This information is false and derogatory to the people of my fine city. The actual data on this suggests the opposite. There is no way to measure "underground sales," because they are underground and not regulated. I'm sorry that Denver's homeless population scares you...Regardeless, Crime has decreased in Colorado since legalization, this is a recognized fact. It sounds like the author is misrepresenting Denver's homeless crisis a an issue that has arisen since legalization. One true issue is that housing costs in Denver have risen 130% in the last 12 years and dismal governmental support for our homeless population. I know it's convenient to blame marijuana for all of Colorado's problems, but the truth is that the socioeconomic issues plaguing Colorado are much more complex than the legalization of a relatively benign substance.

-- Posted by Dumps on Wed, Aug 22, 2018, at 3:01 PM
Dumps,

This is southwest Nebraska. These folks like to blame everything on marijuana, gays, and illegals.

-- Posted by Leann89 on Sat, Aug 25, 2018, at 9:33 PM

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