Pubdate: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2012 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/0n4cG7L1 Website: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: Robert Sharpe END MARIJUANA PROHIBITION Re "Sacramento should stick with pot policy" (Editorials, Oct. 9): Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ask for identification to determine age, but do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime. It fuels crime. Taxing and regulating marijuana is a cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by drug cartels, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like meth and heroin. Marijuana prohibition is a gateway drug policy. -- Robert Sharpe, Arlington, VA