READERS WRITE: JUNE 13

Trump should ditch Obama-era drug leniency

President Trump has gone from advocating the death penalty for drug dealers, to pardoning a drug dealer. When Colorado legalized marijuana, instead of putting an end to Colorado’s violation of federal law, then-President Obama said he was watching the experiment. That experiment has grown into a drug nightmare, as well as an increase in marijuana-related traffic deaths. From 2013 to 2016, the number of drivers testing positive for pot in Colorado rose 145 percent, from 47 to 115 cases. President Trump should take a sober look at the damage caused by states legalizing marijuana and ask himself if he wants to continue “Obama’s Experiment.” If not, he should not sign legislation allowing states to legalize pot, and he should instruct his attorney general to take states to court that are in violation of federal law, and enforce federal law against the use of marijuana.

BILL SMITH, STOCKBRIDGE

Bigger trucks will damage Ga. roads, pocketbooks

Georgia roads will need an injection of hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several years, according to a recent report.

But while our public officials struggle to identify infrastructure funding, a perennial policy threat at the federal level could add to our existing problems.

Over the last several weeks, proponents of double-trailer trucks have been lobbying Congress to include a provision allowing “Double-33s” as part of a larger spending bill. These massive trucks, reaching a length of 91 feet, would increase road and bridge damage according to USDOT studies.

And ultimately, taxpayers foot the bill. The most common truck on the road today already covers only 80 percent of its cost. Bigger trucks would deepen this subsidy – not to mention diverting freight away from railroads, which pay for their own infrastructure.

It’s a mistake to greenlight “Double-33s” that don’t fully cover their costs and exacerbate our infrastructure problems.

CHRISTY SAMMON, STATE DIRECTOR, GO RAIL