Pubdate: Fri, 24 Mar 2000
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2000 Houston Chronicle
Contact:  Viewpoints Editor, P.O. Box 4260 Houston, Texas 77210-4260
Fax: (713) 220-3575
Website: http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html
Author: Robert Sharpe
Cited: Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.ssdp.org/

END DRUG-WAR MADNESS

Regarding the Chronicle's March 13 article, "Study notes shorter sentences 
as drug trafficking cases soar": It disturbs me that federal prosecutors 
are focusing their efforts on low-level marijuana crimes instead of 
dangerous drug kingpins. Granted, busting "pot-heads" is low-risk for law 
enforcement, but that does not excuse America's hypocritical drug policy.

Anyone who has experimented with both alcohol and marijuana knows that 
alcohol is the far more dangerous drug. A person who drinks too much booze 
runs the risk of losing control of basic bodily functions and dying. A 
person who smokes too much pot runs the risk of wanting to take a nap, 
after which he or she will awake without a hangover.

Reefer-madness hysteria keeps the drug-war gravy train chugging along at 
the taxpayers' expense. But there will come a time when a near majority of 
Americans will have experimented with marijuana and recognize it for the 
relatively harmless plant that it is.

Then it will become increasingly difficult for the federal government to 
get away with filling our bloated prison system with marijuana growers 
responding to the financial incentives created by drug laws. The time has 
come to acknowledge the parallels between alcohol prohibition and marijuana 
prohibition. Drug laws fuel organized crime and violence, which is then 
used to justify increased drug-war spending. It's time to end this madness.

Robert Sharpe
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy
Washington, D.C.
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