Pubdate: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA) Copyright: 2013 Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact: http://newsreview.com/sacto/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n507/a11.html MARIJUANA RESCUES ALCOHOLICS Re "Weed over booze" by Ngaio Bealum (SN&R The 420, October 17): Many marijuana smokers have turned their lives around by putting down the bottle and picking up the marijuana pipe. These former alcoholics no longer wake up with debilitating hangovers. They are no longer at risk of overdose death. Because they have chosen a safer alternative to alcohol, they now lead productive lives. Yes, some marijuana users have substance-abuse problems stemming from traumatic life experiences. The last thing they need is Big Brother testing their bodily fluids and threatening jail time. This type of coerced "treatment" is what modern-day marijuana prohibitionists are advocating. It's increasingly clear that full marijuana legalization is inevitable. Drug-war profiteers are hoping to keep the prison-industrial complex alive and bloated by marrying it to the drug-treatment industry. Legitimate substance-abuse treatment providers have reason to be skeptical. Forcing pot smokers to relapse into alcoholism is not a good use of tax dollars. The war on marijuana is a cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public-health campaign. Robert Sharpe policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom