Pubdate: Wed, 16 Oct 2002
Source: Arizona Republic (AZ)
Copyright: 2002 The Arizona Republic
Contact:  http://www.arizonarepublic.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer

POT OPPONENTS ALL WRONG

First the nation's drug czar, John Walters, comes to Phoenix and suggests 
that anyone who votes for Proposition 203, the "medical marijuana" 
initiative, is stupid. Then on Saturday, The Republic runs a column by Drug 
Enforcement Administrator Asa Hutchinson that turns the truth on its head 
in order to fool the voters.

Hutchinson tells us the British people were very unhappy with their 
one-year marijuana decriminalization pilot program. But then he goes on to 
state that, when the year was up this summer, the British decided to make 
the program permanent.

Does that sound like they were displeased with the outcome?

He claims the Netherlands is reconsidering its policy of medical marijuana 
and marijuana decriminalization. But, the fact is, the policy has worked so 
well in the Netherlands, which, interestingly, has the lowest rate of 
teenage marijuana use of any Western European country, that it is now being 
adopted in Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy and (soon) Canada.

The drug war establishment thinks the public is stupid.

But what's stupid is their persistence at a futile and doomed approach to 
drug abuse.

Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer,

Phoenix The writer is spokesman for "The People Have Spoken."
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