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 - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom