Pubdate: Sun, 24 May 2009
Source: State Journal-Register (IL)
Copyright: 2009 The State Journal-Register
Contact:  http://www.sj-r.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/425
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced:  http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n541/a11.html

TAX AND REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL

This is in response to the Wednesday editorial. ("Make U.S. drug laws 
more realistic") There is a middle ground between drug prohibition 
and blanket legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce 
disease, death and crime among chronic users. The success of the 
Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in 
Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands. If expanded, 
prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized crime of a 
core client base. This would render illegal heroin trafficking 
unprofitable and spare future generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without 
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets 
is critical. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by 
organized crime, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will 
continue to come into contact with sellers of addictive drugs.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol -- the 
plant has never been shown to cause an overdose death -- it makes no 
sense to waste tax dollars on failed marijuana policies that finance 
organized crime and open up a gateway to hard drug use. Drug policy 
reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think 
the children are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom