Pubdate: Thu, 10 Apr 2003
Source: West Australian (Australia)
Copyright: 2003 West Australian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.thewest.com.au
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495
Author: Keith Brilhart

A BORING SOLUTION

IT APPEARS that Ms Mullins (Don't deny cannabis harm, 8/4) and the bereaved 
Kondinin parents (Dope destroyed our suicidal son, 31/3) are searching for 
the wrong "solution" to their problems. They blame cannabis for mental 
illness, addiction and death among some teenagers in WA.

Their thinking implies that cannabis should not be legalised because it 
would cause more harm. But consider that in spite of its illegality, young 
people are getting it anyway. Why not try what the Dutch did 30 years ago? 
They reasoned that if young people want to use pot, then they'd make it 
boring by tolerating it in controlled coffee shops. Now, Holland has half 
the rate of cannabis use that my home, the prohibitionist US, has.

Keith Brilhart, Exton, Pennsylvania, US.
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MAP posted-by: Alex