Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2014
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Authors: Mark Kleiman

LEGALIZING POT CARRIES RISKS, BUT SO DOES PROHIBITION

William Bennett and Robert White cite my research and then unreasonably 
extrapolate their claim that the legalization of cannabis would mean
creating 16.2 million "marijuana addicts."

William Bennett and Robert White ("Legal Pot Is a Public Health Menace," 
op-ed, Aug. 14) cite my research as support for their claim
that the legalization of cannabis would mean creating 16.2 million 
"marijuana addicts."

Not only is the attribution false; the claim it purports to buttress
is absurd. I made no such prediction, and the idea that legal cannabis
could create more addicts than legal alcohol doesn't pass the giggle
test. It would be astounding if the actual number were one-third as
high as Messrs. Bennett and White project.

Cannabis legalization on the current alcohol model- low taxes and loose
regulations - would indeed risk a large increase in the extent of
cannabis abuse. That is why some of us are working hard for high taxes
and sensible regulations on cannabis, as well as stronger controls on
alcohol, which is after all a much more personally and socially
dangerous drug.

Cannabis legalization in any form will create some harm; every drug
policy has disadvantages. But against that must be set the enormous
harms from cannabis prohibition: $40 billion a year in illicit
revenue, some of it going to violent criminal organizations in Mexico;
tens of thousands of people in prison; and more than half a million
users arrested each year.

Our goal should be to eliminate as much as possible the damage from
prohibition while minimizing the harms that would result from a badly
designed legalization.

Mark Kleiman

Los Angeles
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt