Pubdate: Fri, 19 Jun 2009
Source: Summit Daily News (CO)
Copyright: 2009 Summit Daily News
Contact: http://apps.summitdaily.com/forms/letter/index.php
Website: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n617/a02.html
Author: Stan White

MARIJUANA LAWS MAKE NO SENSE

If Breckenridge Police Chief Rick Holman truly is interested in the
collateral effect of youth related to cannabis (marijuana) and gave
it considerable thought, I believe he would also support Re-legalizing
cannabis.

Cannabis prohibition, based on lies, half-truths and propaganda causes
increased hard drug addiction rates.

How many citizens try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful
as taught by police in DARE programs? Then they think other substances
must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs.
The old lessons make cannabis out to be among the worst substances in
the world, even though it's less addictive than coffee and never
killed a single person in over 5,000 years of documented use, while
cigarettes kill over 1,000 Americans daily.

Government even classifies cannabis as a Schedule I substance along
with heroin, while methamphetamine and cocaine are only Schedule II
substances. For the health and welfare of America's children and
adults, that dangerous, irresponsible and inaccurate message
absolutely must change.

Nationally, police cite the gateway theory, to perpetuate cannabis
prohibition, yet historically even government studies discredit the
gateway theory. Further, DARE instructors (police) teach cannabis is
bad and should be prohibited, yet unregulated sales of cannabis force
buyers into contact with people who often sell hard drugs, which
increases addiction rates. If there were such a thing as the gateway
effect, that would be it and police work to perpetuate it.

Once re-legalized, DARE will be forced to teach the truth, the
collateral effect will be lower hard drug addiction rates. And since
the war on drugs seems to hinge on cannabis prohibition, perhaps DARE
will be eliminated from schools. The collateral effect will be still
lower hard drug addiction rates since nearly every study including
government studies indicate DARE not only doesn't work, it causes
increased drug use compared to locations which do not have DARE programs.

If law enforcement agencies don't use any time confronting responsible
adults who choose to use the relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis
and law enforcement officers aren't harming youth in classrooms under
the pretense of DARE programs, then it is reasonable to believe
society may not need as many police officers. I wonder if that's what
law enforcement agencies and their unions worry about?

By supporting and actively perpetuating cannabis prohibition, a
rational person may assume law enforcement agencies and their unions
are worried more about their own greedy interest at the expense of
youth and citizens in general.

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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr