Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jun 2011
Source: Daily Triplicate, The (Crescent City, CA)
Copyright: 2011 Western Communications, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.triplicate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2151
Author: Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n370/a13.html

ONGOING CULTURE WAR AGAINST POT IN U.S. A FAILURE THAT SHOULD
END

Regarding Robert DeRego's thoughtful June 4 Coastal Voices piece, 
"The case for cannabis," the drug war is largely a war on marijuana 
smokers. In 2009, there were 858,405 marijuana arrests in the United 
States, almost 90 percent for simple possession.

At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, 
firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous 
public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to 
martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not 
necessarily lower rates of use.

The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, 
where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a long 
overdue step in the right direction. Taxing and regulating marijuana 
would render the drug war obsolete. As long as organized crime 
controls distribution, marijuana consumers will come into contact 
with sellers of hard drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin.

This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC.
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.