Pubdate: Tue, 07 Aug 2012
Source: Muskegon Chronicle, The (MI)
Copyright: 2012 The Muskegon Chronicle
Contact: http://www.mlive.com/mailforms/muchronicle/letters/index.ssf
Website: http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1605
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n383/a05.html

DRUG WAR TOO COSTLY, INEFFECTIVE

Regarding Brian Hosticka's Aug. 4 op-ed (Want to empty the jail? 
Change how we handle drug offenses), the drug war is largely a war on 
marijuana smokers. In 2010, there were 853,839 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 public resources 
criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end 
result of this ongoing culture war is not 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, policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy/Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom