Pubdate: Mon, 30 Apr 2012
Source: Livingston County Daily Press & Argus (MI)
Copyright: 2012 Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/Kk1qVKJf
Website: http://www.livingstondaily.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4265
Author: Robert Sharpe

UNITED STATES JAILS THOSE WHO PREFER POT TO MARTINIS

Regarding your thoughtful April 11 editorial ("Pot laws offer up high 
dose of absurdity"), the drug war is largely a war on marijuana 
smokers. In 2010, there were 853,839 marijuana arrests in the United 
States, almost 90 percent for simple possession.

At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, 
firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous 
public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to 
martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not 
necessarily lower rates of use.

The United States has higher rates of marijuana use than the 
Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization 
is a long-overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating 
marijuana would render the drug war obsolete.

As long as organized crime controls distribution, marijuana consumers 
will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like 
methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct 
result of marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe

Washington, D.C.

Robert Sharpe is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.
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