Pubdate: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 Source: Gisborne Herald (New Zealand) Copyright: 2012 The Gisborne Herald Co. Ltd Contact: http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/Contact/ Website: http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/924 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n029/a03.html SAY "'NO' TO AMERICAN INQUISITION Regarding your thoughtful January 10 editorial, the police state approach to cannabis use is a proven failure. Consider the experience of the United States of America, former Land of the Free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. The steady rise in drug-sniffing dogs in schools, warrantless police searches, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties in America, while failing miserably at preventing cannabis use. Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents, a majority of European Union countries have decriminalised cannabis. Despite cannabis prohibition and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of cannabis is higher in the United States than any European country. This cannabis policy failure has unfortunately not stopped the U.S. from using its superpower status to export a punitive moral crusade around the globe. If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, cannabis would be legal. The short-term health effects of cannabis are inconsequential compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. New Zealand should follow the lead of Europe and Just Say No to the American Inquisition. A comparative analysis of U.S. versus European rates of drug use can be found at: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/espad_pr.pdf *MTF is funded with U.S. government grants United Nations stats: http://www.unodc.org/ Comparative analysis of U.S. vs. Dutch rates of drug use: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm ROBERT SHARPE , MPA Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy Arlington, Virginia, USA - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom