Pubdate: Tue, 13 Jan 2015
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2015 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Larry Brophy
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n022/a01.html

POT IS HURTING KIDS? OH, GO TAKE A PUFF

The Saturday Viewpoints centerpiece on marijuana picks some facts and 
ignores others ("Why 'Big Marijuana' must be stopped"). That's 
neither smart nor accurate.

California leads the way. In October 2010, voters passed a law 
decriminalizing marijuana use. Possession of up to an ounce is 
treated like a parking ticket, with a maximum $100 fine. The result? 
Overall youth crime is down by nearly 30 percent.

And it didn't lead to any of the harms prohibitionists predicted. 
Quite the opposite: Since the law passed in 2010, the rate of both 
high-school dropouts and youth drug overdoses are down by 20 percent. 
Non-marijuana drug arrests for California youth are also down 23 
percent, fully debunking the gateway theory.

Even in Colorado pot use itself has hardly budged. A working paper 
released in October by a Cato Institute professor reveals that 
essentially none of the harms that opponents claimed would accompany 
legalization have materialized.

Instead of spreading hysterical fear about marijuana, why not take a 
puff, kick back and chill?

- - Larry Brophy, Payson
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom