Pubdate: Wed, 30 Oct 2013
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Copyright: 2013 The Providence Journal Company
Contact:  http://www.projo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/352
Author: Rebecca McGordrick

DEMONIZING MARIJUANA

"Speaker at R.I. conference says marijuana use among nation's youth 
is rising" (news, Oct. 25) confirmed that opponents of legalizing and 
regulating marijuana are still misleading the public and using fear 
tactics to distract us from the massive social costs of marijuana prohibition.

Let's get the facts straight. Nationally, youth marijuana use has 
been steadily increasing since the early 1990s -- years before the 
first state adopted medical marijuana in 1996. On top of that, youth 
use continues to rise in states with the most draconian marijuana 
laws, while states with less punitive laws, such as Colorado, have 
seen a decline in youth marijuana use.

So the argument that refusing to send marijuana users to prison and 
helping cancer patients find relief drives up youth use is 
intellectually dishonest and morally reprehensible. Worse still, in 
their single-minded focus of demonizing marijuana, supporters of 
marijuana prohibition overlook the horrifying social costs of the 
failed status quo. Families are torn apart when a parent is 
incarcerated for a non-violent marijuana offense. Teens are caught in 
the violence caused by the illegal marijuana market. And law 
enforcement officers let violent crimes go unsolved as they engage in 
the futile task of arresting low-level marijuana dealers.

Despite the fact that youth marijuana use continues to rise under 
marijuana prohibition, these so-called youth advocates hold up the 
failures of the current policy as the reason to oppose reform.

Rebecca McGoldrick

Providence

The writer is executive director of Protect Families First.
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