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. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr