Pubdate: Wed, 23 May 2001
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2001 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Tony Newman
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n894/a04.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

MARIJUANA LAWS AND VIOLENT CRIME

To the Editor:

Re "Violent Crimes Undercut Marijuana's Mellow Image" (front page, May 19):

Marijuana-smoking does not cause people to kill; the violence stems from 
the large profits to be made as a result of the plant's illegality. When we 
had alcohol prohibition, we had people killing each other over alcohol. Now 
that alcohol is regulated, there are no shootouts over Budweiser.

New York's marijuana policy involves the locking up of thousands of people 
for possession of small amounts of the drug. This has the effect of driving 
up the drug's value, resulting in dealers' killing one another for the 
right to sell it.

Many feel that the justification for prohibition comes from our desire to 
keep marijuana out of teenage hands. Yet because the drug is sold on the 
black market, high school students can get it more easily than alcohol.

TONY NEWMAN

New York, May 20, 2001

The writer is director of communications, Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy 
Foundation. 
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