Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 Source: Times-Herald, The (Vallejo, CA) Copyright: 2010 Robert Sharpe Contact: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/993 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n590/a03.html Author: Robert Sharpe DEADLY PROHIBITION Lyndon Lafferty ("Don't let the marijuana myth live on," July 25) fails to understand how marijuana prohibition opens up a gateway to hard drugs. As long as organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly. Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake