Pubdate: Sat, 10 Sep 2005
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Copyright: 2005 The Providence Journal Company
Contact:  http://www.projo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/352
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1391/a02.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

FOCUS ON METH, NOT MARIJUANA

M.J. Andersen's Aug. 26 column ("U.S. drug policy a childish pursuit") was 
right on target. While local governments are struggling with a 
methamphetamine epidemic, the Office of National Drug Control Policy is 
spending millions on a Reefer Madness-revisited ad campaign.

This reflects a bizarre sense of priorities. A National Association of 
Counties survey found that the vast majority of county officials report 
that methamphetamine is the biggest drug problem. Local law enforcement is 
where the rubber meets the road -- these are the public-safety 
professionals who deal with drug offenses on a daily basis, and it's not 
marijuana that concerns them, but, rather, meth.

Meanwhile, an out-of-touch federal government continues to be obsessed with 
marijuana, even going so far as to prosecute California patients who use 
medical marijuana for relief.

The biggest lie to come out of the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
is that new, potent strains of marijuana allegedly make pot a far more 
dangerous drug than before. This is nonsense. The only difference between 
weak and strong marijuana is that the strong kind requires significantly 
less smoke inhalation to produce the desired effect. So it's actually less 
harmful.

The tax dollars wasted on the Office of National Drug Control Policy's 
misleading anti-marijuana campaign would be better spent on treatment for 
methamphetamine addicts.

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington

The writer is policy analyst for the advocacy group Common Sense for Drug 
Policy.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom