Pubdate: Tue, 24 Dec 2013 Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2013 Star Advertiser Contact: http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154 Author: Pamela Lichty POT PROHIBITION HAS UNINTENDED EFFECTS We agree with your view, "Marijuana not a good idea for kids" (Star-Advertiser, Off the News, Dec. 21), as shown by recent research. And the just-released Monitoring the Future study shows that use of marijuana among adolescents has risen. But that government survey also shows that the use of cigarettes and alcohol among teens is at an all-time low. The use of prescription painkillers and synthetic marijuana is also down. The harms of marijuana pale compared to these other drugs. None of us wants to see kids using pakalolo, but that's not a reason to continue marijuana prohibition with its negative side effects - diverting the police from real crime, enriching cartels, criminalizing young people, and perpetuating racial inequalities to name a few. For the past 40 years these laws have failed to make marijuana less available to young people. Like other states, Hawaii must rethink the unintended consequences of marijuana prohibition. Pamela Lichty President, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom