Pubdate: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 Source: Boston Globe (MA) Copyright: 2003 Globe Newspaper Company Contact: http://www.boston.com/globe/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52 Author: Bruce Mirken Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n065/a07.html LINKING MARIJUANA AND TERRORISM Cathy Young's column on insulting ads (op ed, Jan. 13) pointed out the absurdity of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's television commercials linking drugs and terrorism. The White House office's newspaper ads are even sillier. An ad this week in The Washington Post and The New York Times depicts a plastic bag of marijuana with the headline, "Is it okay to support terrorism if it's only a little bit?" Oh, please. The vast majority of marijuana consumed in the United States is grown domestically or comes from Canada or Mexico - not exactly Al Qaeda strongholds. No doubt some marijuana traffickers engage in unsavory activities. But, as Young points out, that is a direct result of prohibition that has created an underground criminal market. When was the last time you heard of a bloody shoot-out between beer distributors? During Prohibition, that's when. Alcohol prohibition led to violence and terror in this country. Is it any surprise that marijuana prohibition has done the same? Bruce Mirken Director of communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington - --- MAP posted-by: Alex