How much more do we have to waste on this ill-conceived, bombastic, war against marijuana?

We’ve blown over a trillion dollars at the federal level alone in 50 years, not to mention the ruined lives. It’s time for our leaders to tell us what they spend for cannabis enforcement at the state level. When the head of the Indiana State Police comes out for legalization, that’s newsworthy.

Eighteen states permit medicinal marijuana; two have outright legalized it. The people of Indiana voted against alcohol prohibition in a plebiscite when they voted for the 21st Amendment. What Indiana really needs is for the referendum process to be amended to its state constitution. Then we would be on an equal footing with Washington and Colorado.

You cannot successfully prohibit a recreational drug that a sizeable portion of the population uses and views to be relatively innocuous. We smoke millions of pounds of marijuana a year in this country.

The federal government cannot enforce the law without help from the states. In fact, alcohol prohibition ended when most of the states told Uncle Sam that they just would not take part in enforcing the law against it. The majority did not drink during Prohibition. It was the laws against it that caused the problems.

When was the last time anyone saw a whiskey peddler on the street corner, selling to kids?

GAYLEN E. TWIGG Fort Wayne