Pubdate: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 Source: Washington Post (DC) Page: Page A21 Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Contact: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Paul Armentano Note: The writer is a senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws http://www.norml.org/ Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1890/a04.html THE CASE FOR DECRIMINALIZING CANNABIS Asa Hutchinson's mischaracterization of Britain's marijuana decriminalization pilot program in the Lambeth borough of south London ["Drug Legalization Doesn't Work," op-ed, Oct. 9] is as disturbing as it is inaccurate. The fact that British police and politicians ultimately agreed to extend the Lambeth model nationwide speaks to the overwhelming success of cannabis decriminalization. Under the Lambeth scheme, which was implemented last fall at the behest of British law enforcement, police "cautioned" rather than arrested minor marijuana offenders. Contrary to Hutchinson's allegations, street crime fell in Lambeth by nearly 50 percent during this program. Violent crime also fell dramatically under decriminalization. According to the BBC, robberies in the borough fell 18 percent during the first half of 2002 -- the largest reported decrease in England. Regardless of Hutchinson's impressions, the evidence dictates that marijuana decriminalization makes for safer streets. Additional statistics from Lambeth are equally telling. According to the British Home Office, arrests for hard drugs and drug trafficking increased nearly 20 percent under the pilot scheme. This increase was not because of an overall jump in hard drug use but because police had shifted their focus from marijuana to prosecuting more serious drug crimes. The Home Office further found that cautioning small-time pot users freed an estimated 1,300 hours in police time -- time the police used to better protect the public by targeting robbers, hard-drug dealers and other serious criminals. Had the Lambeth experiment not been so successful, Parliament would no doubt be champing at the bit to drastically increase England's marijuana penalties rather than reduce them. Instead, British policymakers are wisely choosing to join fellow European Union neighbors such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands and eliminate criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana for personal use. Rather than maligning this European trend, Hutchinson and other federal drug warriors should be learning from its success. Paul Armentano The writer is a senior policy analyst for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake