Pubdate: Tue, 01 Jul 2014
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2014 The New York Times Company
Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/lettertoeditor.html
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Paul Armentano
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n536/a07.html

A CASE FOR MAKING MARIJUANA LEGAL, AND REGULATED

To the Editor:

Re "Candy's Dandy, but Pot's Scary" (Op-Ed, June 21):

T. M. Luhrmann implies that the potential health risks associated 
with cannabis use are a legitimate reason to keep the plant illicit 
and criminalized. But just the opposite is true.

There are numerous documented adverse health consequences associated 
with alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs, all of which are far 
more dangerous and costlier to society than the responsible adult use 
of cannabis. It's precisely because of these consequences that these 
products are legally regulated and their use restricted to particular 
consumers and specific settings.

Similarly, a pragmatic regulatory framework that allows for the 
legal, licensed commercial production and retail adult sale of 
marijuana but restricts and discourages its use among young people - 
coupled with a legal environment that fosters open, honest dialogue 
between parents and children about cannabis's potential harms - best 
reduces the risks associated with the plant's consumption or abuse.

The continuing criminalization of cannabis and the stigmatization and 
prosecution of those who consume it is a disproportionate public 
policy to what is, at worst, a public health concern, not a criminal 
justice matter.

PAUL ARMENTANO

Deputy Director, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana 
Laws Washington, June 23, 2014
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