Pubdate: Mon, 6 Apr 2009
Source: Times-Herald, The (Vallejo, CA)
Copyright: 2009 The Times-Herald
Contact:  http://www.timesheraldonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/993
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n277/a08.html
Author: Thom McCombs

OVER THE TOP

Writing on the issue of legalizing marijuana, letter  writer Lyndon
Lafferty (March 6) relies heavily on  exaggeration ("thousands
literally lost their minds and  lives by experimenting with LSD"),
fear-mongering  ("Charles Manson and his blood-thirsty group were
constant users of marijuana"), and an us-vs-them  mentality ("our laws
are designed to protect people  like us from people like you").

One of the many problems with his over-the-top approach  is that when
the young minds reading his letter  recognize his exaggerations, they
will discount his  entire position and see pot as something cool to
do.

A second problem is that of personal accountability:  Both liberals
and conservatives refuse to hold people  accountable for their
actions, and each group wants to  prohibit something to solve a social
problem.

Liberals think: Guns kill people, let's ban guns.

Conservatives think: Drugs ruin lives, let's ban drugs.

Doctors think: Tobacco kills millions, let's ban  tobacco.

Few will admit what the research shows: That  prohibitions will cause
more harm to society than the  harm being caused by what was
prohibited. Neither side  accepts that prohibition creates black
markets,  smuggling, widespread lawbreaking, overflowing prisons,  and
provides a dangerous, illegal and highly paid job  for the underclass.

I would like to see our society shift away from  prohibitions and
toward support of health. Let us keep  our police, courts and prisons
reserved for those who  harm others. Let us shift our resources to our
roadways  and waterworks, public safety, health care and  education.
It is more difficult work (and less  glamorous) than passing
prohibitive laws with mandatory  sentences. It is not as much
self-righteous fun as  shouting down the voices that disagree.
Citizens, what  has been tried is clogging our courts, jails and
prisons, squandered billions of dollars and shown only  to raise the
price of drugs high enough to corrupt  anyone and to topple
governments.

Let us get out of the business of prohibition, even if  drug cartels
collapse.

Thom McCombs

American Canyon
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake