Pubdate: Thu, 12 Sep 2013
Source: Times-Standard (Eureka, CA)
Copyright: 2013 Times-Standard
Contact: http://www.times-standard.com/writeus
Website: http://www.times-standard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1051
Author: Robert Sharpe

STOP POT ARRESTS, START TAXING POT

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug 
cartels, prohibition is a grand success. The drug war distorts supply 
and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. If the 
goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a 
catastrophic failure. The United States has double the rate of use as 
the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. The 
criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no 
basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural 
inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. This 
country can no longer afford to subsidize the prejudices of culture 
warriors. It's time to stop the arrests and instead tax legal marijuana.

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom