Pubdate: Tue, 04 Feb 2014
Source: Washington Times (DC)
Copyright: 2014 The Washington Times, LLC.
Contact:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n106/a07.html
Page: B2

INSTEAD OF BANNING MARIJUANA, TAX IT

Your Jan. 29 editorial, "The president of pot," makes the common
mistake of assuming that marijuana prohibition deters marijuana use.
If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug
cartels, prohibition is a grand success.

The drug war distorts supply-and-demand dynamics so that big money
grows on little trees. If the goal is to deter use, marijuana
prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has almost
twice as much marijuana use as the Netherlands, where the possession
of less than five grams of marijuana has been decriminalized.

The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has
no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed
cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign.
It's time to stop the pointless arrests and instead tax legal marijuana.

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington
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MAP posted-by: Matt