Pubdate: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 Source: Brewton Standard, The (AL) Copyright: 2002 Brewton Standard Contact: http://www.brewtonstandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1694 Author: Robert Sharpe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) DRUG POLICIES ENCOURAGE RISE OF CRYSTAL METH To the editor: In his Aug. 22nd column, Robert Blankenship describes the very real dangers posed by Escambia County's volatile methamphetamine labs. Hazardous meth labs are reminiscent of the deadly exploding liquor stills that sprung up throughout the nation during alcohol prohibition. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. There are cost-effective alternatives to the never-ending drug war. In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by replacing marijuana prohibition with adult regulation. Dutch rates of drug use are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every category. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance. Here in the U.S. marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce addictive drugs like meth. This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol - the plant has never been shown to cause an overdose death - it makes no sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs. Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children are more important than the message. A dated comparison of Dutch vs. American rates of drug use can be found at: www.netherlands-embassy.org/c_drugstat.html and more recent figures can be found at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm Sincerely, Robert Sharpe, M.P.A. Program Officer Drug Policy Alliance - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager