Pubdate: Thu, 17 May 2001 Source: Valley Voice, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 The Valley Voice Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1388 Author: Robert Sharpe MARIJUANA NOT A HEALTH THREAT Regarding the creation of 'drug free' zones in Nakusp, alcohol kills more students every year than all illegal drugs combined. The second most popular recreational drug, tobacco, is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Yet 'drug free' school zones will primarily target marijuana, the third most popular recreational drug and arguably the safest. If health outcomes determined drug laws, instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Marijuana is not physically addictive and has never been shown to cause an overdose death. As the most popular illicit drug, marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce teenagers to hard drugs like heroin. This 'gateway' is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. The drug war makes it easier for kids to buy pot than beer. Drug dealers don't ID for age. In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance. Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children themselves are more important than the message. Opportunistic 'tough on drugs' politicians would no doubt disagree. I regret not having Canadian statistics for you... a dated comparison of Dutch vs. US. rates of drug use can be found at:http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/c_drugstat.html. More recent figures can be found at :http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thnethe.htm. Robert Sharpe, The Lindesmith Centre-Drug Policy Foundation Washington, DC - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens