Pubdate: Sun, 09 Dec 2012 Source: Tampa Bay Times (FL) Copyright: 2012 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.tampabay.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Note: Named the St. Petersburg Times from 1884-2011. Author: Robert Sharpe PROHIBITION DRIVES CRIME If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a success. The drug war distorts supply and demand so that big money grows on little trees. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a failure. The United States has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. It's time to stop the arrests and instead tax legal marijuana. Robert Sharpe, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom