Pubdate: Fri, 20 Apr 2012
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
Copyright: 2012 PG Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/pm4R4dI4
Website: http://www.post-gazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/341
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n211/a06.html

DEADLY PROHIBITION: LEGALIZE MARIJUANA TO SAVE LIVES

Regarding George F. Will's April 12 column ("To Legalize or Not to 
Legalize: That Is the Question When It Comes to Illicit Drugs"), 
there is a middle ground between drug prohibition and full legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce 
disease, death and crime among chronic users. The success of the 
Swiss program has inspired pilot projects in Canada, Germany, Spain, 
Denmark and the Netherlands. If expanded, heroin maintenance would 
deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render 
illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and sold like alcohol, only without the 
widespread advertising. As long as organized crime controls 
distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact with hard 
drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a 
direct result of marijuana prohibition.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose 
death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. 
Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly.

ROBERT SHARPE Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Arlington, Va.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom