Pubdate: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2014 The New York Times Company Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: David Grosso THE MARIJUANA SERIES: OTHER VIEWS To the Editor: Your recent series about marijuana legalization precisely explains what motivated me as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia to introduce legislation in 2013 that would tax and regulate marijuana in the District. The war on drugs has ravished entire communities in the District, as evident from the racial disparities in marijuana arrests here. According to a report released by the American Civil Liberties Union, 91 percent of all drug arrests in D.C. were of African-Americans, despite self-reporting that shows equal rates of marijuana use among African-Americans and whites. Recent surveys show that public support for the legalization of marijuana has changed significantly. The conversation has shifted from "immorality" and "war on drugs" to one of social justice. In spite of attempted congressional interference, the D.C. Council has already taken the first step toward legalization and passed a decriminalization law. The time is ripe to move forward with a full tax-and-regulate approach in D.C. - one that prohibits selling to minors and uses the tax revenue to offer programs that help with substance abuse prevention. DAVID GROSSO Washington, Aug. 1, 2014 - --- MAP posted-by: Matt