I'm all for legalizing mj, but the proposed taxes I have seen for such a move wouldn't be much of a discouragement to illegal import and sales, in my opinion. Also, more cops doesn't solve the problem of jail space, which is the foremost problem facing law enforcement everywhere in the country.

In my neighborhood, frequent, casual gatherings stressing community awareness and participation in calling the cops and reporting suspicious activity has all but eradicated the element of gangs presence in the neighborhood, in a very violent city. The cops were getting called so frequently, they have moved several in as residents of the neighborhood and subsidize their living quarters. We as a neighborhood, also bought a derilict historic property, restored it, and donated it to the same program of housing a cop and his family. We now have five black cops living in an almost all-white neighborhood of 700 homes. We also chip in for a private security firm, for street presence, but I have been voting against this for the past couple of years as I think they may serve as lookouts for folks who steal stuff out of cars.