Kevin Rodden: Pot decriminalization attracts drug cartels

Re: “Vote yes to decriminalize marijuana in Breckenridge,” SDN editorial Oct. 21

The timing of your editorial was exquisitely bad. It came on the same day as the announcement of the big Mexican drug cartel bust. One of the federal agents working in Colorado, who was involved in the bust, was quoted in the media as saying the states, including Colorado, which have decriminalized marijuana, have become magnets for the Mexican cartels.

For the benefit of your younger readers, there was a renowned bank robber in the 1920s through 1950s, named Willie Sutton, who when asked, why he robbed banks, famously responded, “ because that's where the money is.” Analogously, if someone were to ask the Mexican drug cartels why they're honing in on Colorado and the other states which have decriminalized marijuana, their answer most certainly would be, “because that's where the drugs and the drug-users are!”

I'm afraid I'm one of those cranky, old-school types, who believes decriminalizing marijuana will have very deleterious consequences for Summit County, and indeed the United States. Certainly, it's a sad reflection of the current state of the country when probably its fastest-growing business is “medical” marijuana.