just keep coming. If cannabis were legal nationwide, the incentive to use national land as pot farms would evaporate. Don't forget that many states already have decriminalized it and/or approved its use for medicinal purposes or legalized it outright. In addition, our prisons are overflowing with bottom-rung dealers and users (supported by our taxes); the environment is being degraded from uncontrolled growing; and, most important, the government's "War on Drugs" is as big a failure as Prohibition was. Tax marijuana and regulate it as we do alcohol. Edward Lumas Grand Rapids, Mich. [end]
National Landmarks Face 'A Growing Problem- Literally' Mexican drug traffickers are using prime new territory for their expanding marijuana-growing operations: America's national forests. "It's a growing problem - literally," says Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. "They're finding that it's easier and easier ... to grow within this country." Though drug trafficking was first detected on federal lands in the mid-1990s, the activity has since spread to 20 states and 67 national forests. Traffickers are planting illicit crops on public land, destroying and defiling pristine wilderness while creating risks for hunters and other parkgoers. [continues 397 words]
As states increasingly adopt laws allowing medical marijuana, fewer teens see occasional marijuana use as harmful, the largest national survey of youth drug use has found. Nearly 80% of high school seniors don't consider occasional marijuana use harmful -- the highest rate since 1983 -- and one in 15 smoke nearly every day, according to the annual survey of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders made public Wednesday. More than one in five high school seniors said they smoked marijuana in the month before the survey, and 36% did during the previous year, according to Monitoring the Future's survey of 45,449 students from 395 public and private schools. [continues 449 words]
Enforcement questions follow Wash., Colo. votes Americans are divided over whether marijuana should be decriminalized- 50% say no, 48% say yes-but they overwhelmingly agree on this: When states vote to legalize pot, the feds should look the other way. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, those surveyed say by almost 2-1, 63%-34%, that the federal government shouldn't enforce federal marijuana laws in states that legalize pot. The question took on some urgency Thursday as Washington became the first state to decriminalize the possession of marijuana for recreational purposes. Just after midnight, hundreds of celebrants lit joints at the base of Seattle's Space Needle. [continues 230 words]
Both Republicans and Obama Should Get Out of the Way When Citizens Demand Freedom Finally, change we can believe in. Last week, voters came together in a grassroots movement to demand changes in their government and in their lives. No, it was not the Tea Party movement, which imploded in a spasm of gaffes and extremist rhetoric. It was certainly not the "hope" of the Obama campaign, which for most liberals was an excersise of "hope over experience." Rather, citizens in various states have crossed party and ideological lines to challenge the federal government on issues such as marijuana and gay marriage. In a triumph of federalist principles, states are going their own way on important social issues, but this is not the type of "change" either party wants to believe in. [continues 688 words]
Social media is abuzz with future college students dreaming of doing bong hits openly on the greens of universities in Colorado and Washington state. But those dreams may go up in smoke. "If someone thinks they are going to walk around campus smoking a joint, it's not going to happen," University of Washington spokesman Norman Arkans says. Although voters in Colorado and Washington approved the legalization of marijuana, officials aren't expecting cannabis-welcoming changes in campus policy. The federal government still considers marijuana illegal, and universities don't want to risk their federal funding for research or student financial aid. [continues 515 words]
Voter approval of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington ignited a burst of jokes on social media about how professional and college teams in those states would hold an advantage in attracting athletes who like to light up. Reality shot down that smoke screen on Wednesday. "The NFL's policy is collectively bargained and will continue to apply in the same manner it has for decades," league spokesman Greg Aiello said. "Marijuana remains prohibited under the NFL substance abuse program and the Colorado and Washington laws will have no impact..." [continues 383 words]
The U.S. Olympic Committee found itself Wednesday morning at the center of the new national conversation created by the statewide votes in Colorado and Washington to legalize the use of marijuana. The USOC is headquartered in Colorado Springs. It oversees the playing of dozens of sports by hundreds of far-flung young athletes, all of whom have the added responsibility of representing not only themselves but their nation. The organization also is in the business of making sure they compete fairly and cleanly, which is why all kinds of illegal drugs, performance-enhancing and otherwise, are banned. [continues 611 words]
The people have spoken. Now it's the markets' turn. Tuesday's election left the new government looking a lot like the old government, with President Obama in the White House, Democrats in control of the Senate and Republicans running the House. So who can blame investors for being skeptical that the same gridlocked crowd will do any better this time around? They sent the stock market into a 313-point swoon Wednesday, which ought to put Washington on notice that constituents will be financially clobbered if leaders can't come together on pressing matters. [continues 960 words]
Colorado and Washington becoming the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana prompted speculation Wednesday about Amsterdam-style "drug tourism" and a new round of jokes about Colorado's official state song, Rocky Mountain High. The Colorado measure limits cultivation to six marijuana plants per person, but "grow-your-own" pot would still be banned in Washington. Both states prohibit public use, and Washington includes a strict "drugged driving" provision for marijuana impairment. Tuesday's votes are "groundbreaking," said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center. But since no modern jurisdiction has lifted prohibitions on production, possession and distribution of cannabis for recreational use, he says, "There are two big issues: Do the states want a marijuana tourism industry, and if so would the federal government allow it?" [continues 320 words]
The election produced ground-breaking steps on a pair of social issues, as voters endorsed same-sex marriage in four states and legalization of marijuana in two. "Think of this as the Will and Gracification of America," Dan Schnur, director of the Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, says of the gay marriage vote. "Programs like Will and Grace and Glee are having a similar effect as the Cosby Show did back in the 1980s." Future implications for the nation - in politics and policy - could prove dramatic. [continues 884 words]
As a former chief federal prosecutor in Washington state, I observed firsthand our nation's dangerous marijuana policy. Decades of experience demonstrates marijuana prohibition has failed to reduce use by tens of millions of Americans. Instead, international drug cartels, violent gangs and street pushers control the trade and reap the profits. Our sworn officers and agents put themselves at risk every day to defend this flawed policy. Public safety suffers under marijuana prohibition and so does public health. Marijuana use is not without risk, but these risks are nothing like those of heroin, cocaine or meth. Leaving marijuana in the hands of black-market profiteers prevents us from regulating potency or purity, testing for adulterants or requiring accurate labeling. [continues 200 words]
Pot for Medical Purposes? Sure. for Getting High? No. Legalize pot? The nation has flirted with the idea before: Jimmy Carter supported decriminalization in his 1976 campaign, but the idea died after his chief drug adviser was reported to have used cocaine at a Washington, D.C., party. Almost four decades later, though, a pot renaissance is sweeping parts of the USA: Seventeen states and the nation's capital now allow the use of medical marijuana with a doctor's order, which in some places is ludicrously easy to get. Thirteen states have decriminalized pot, which generally means that the punishment for first-time possession of small amounts is a fine with no jail time. [continues 534 words]
Voters Consider Legalization for Recreational Use Now that medical marijuana is permitted in about one-third of the nation, advocates hope to move beyond therapeutic uses with ballot questions in three states that could legalize pot for recreational use. Voters in Colorado, Washington state and Oregon face proposals to change state laws to permit possession and regulate the sale of marijuana - though the plant with psychoactive properties remains an illegal substance under federal law. Approval in even one state would be a dramatic step that most likely would face legal challenges but could also bring pressure on the federal government to consider modifying the national prohibition that has been in place since 1937, backers say. [continues 648 words]
Prescription Drug Abuse Drops Among Young People Prescription drug abuse in the USA declined last year year to the lowest rate since 2002 amid federal and state crackdowns on drug-seeking patients and over-prescribing doctors. Young adults drove the drop. The number of people 18 to 25 who regularly abuse prescription drugs fell 14% to 1.7 million, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported Monday. In 2011, 3.6% of young adults abused pain relievers, the lowest rate in a decade. [continues 503 words]
Kudos to judo wrestler Stephany Lee for speaking frankly and convincingly about the double standard of punishing athletes for their personal use of marijuana, but turning a blind eye to their recreational use of a far more deleterious substance: alcohol ("Olympic Ouster brings marijuana issue to the forefront"). Given the prevalence and known harms associated with the use of performance-enhancing drugs, it seems counterintuitive for officials to levy some of their strictest penalties upon cannabis consumers. Sports regulators such as the United States Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency ought to be primarily concerned with preserving the integrity of the Games, and the health and well being of those who participate in them. These regulatory bodies should not be using their power to enforce America's overzealous and punitive drug war orthodoxy. Paul Armentano, Deputy director National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; Washington, D.C. [end]
American wrestler Stephany Lee, who missed the Olympics because she tested positive for marijuana, was at home in Colorado Springs when she heard that judoka Nicholas Delpopolo had been thrown out of the London Games after failing a drug test he blamed on inadvertently eating food baked with marijuana. Delpopolo is 23, the same age Michael Phelps was when the swimmer was photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe in 2009. Phelps, who never failed a drug test, apologized, received a three-month suspension from USA Swimming and is celebrated as the most decorated Olympian in history. [continues 1665 words]
Colombia is no longer the world's biggest producer of cocaine. White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske announced on Monday that Colombia - the origin of much of the cocaine trafficked into the United States - fell behind Peru and Bolivia in production of cocaine in 2011. The latest estimate puts Colombia's production at 195 metric tons, a 25% reduction from the previous year and down from 700 metric tons in 2001. Peru accounted for 325 tons and Bolivia for 265 metric tons, according to the latest White House estimates. [continues 236 words]
States have an obligation to hold those on public assistance accountable for their actions. Receiving a public benefit is a privilege, not a right. The debate on drug testing welfare recipients is simply about the responsible use of tax dollars. Most Americans, even my fellow fiscal conservatives, see the legitimate need for benefit programs for those who are struggling and need to get back on their feet. However, it is fiscally irresponsible for public monies to subsidize the use of illegal drugs. Taxpayers should not be in the business of funding the lifestyles of those who are addicted to drugs, thereby condoning illegal behavior. [continues 235 words]
Finally, I have heard a proposed bill that makes sense: Colorado's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program would require people to pass a drug test before receiving aid. This is a lesson that most children learn in their childhood. Chores or helping to support the family in some form earns an allowance. This would weed out those who use their money for drugs and teach the lesson that life isn't a free ride. The American Civil Liberties Union should think twice about opposing this measure. It might be stopping a good effort to help those who are truly in need. Debra Mucha; Goode, Va. [end]
Growing up during the Depression, and because my father was dead, we were on the Aid to Families With Dependent Children program. It provided shelter, clothing and food. If they had had drug testing for it and my mother had tested positive, we would have been out on the street and starving, or worse, we kids could have been placed in orphanages. So I ask the legislatures in these 23 states considering drug testing for welfare recipients: What is going to happen to the children if their parents test positive for drugs? Children have no choice to whom they are born and no say in the behavior of their parents. So get off this testing. Usually, children are involved in this aid and will suffer even more than they already do. Jim Karavite; Royal Oak, Mich. [end]
TULTITLAN, Mexico - After giving up trying to find a job in his native Honduras, metalworker Maynor Gutierrez decided to try to get to the USA. He never made it past a shelter for illegal immigrants in Mexico. Poverty, crime and corruption have overwhelmed Honduras, a fledgling democracy engulfed in political chaos and designated the murder capital of Latin America. Little has improved under President Porfirio Lobo, who took over after his predecessor was removed on charges of subverting democracy. The turmoil has prompted many Hondurans to flee north. [continues 737 words]
The preposterous notion, floated by the American Civil Liberties Union, that requiring drug tests before and during receipt of public assistance "unfairly stigmatize people receiving public assistance" is a joke. I would ask the ACLU if the millions of Americans subject to random drug tests as a condition of employment are "unfairly stigmatized," too. If it's about being "fair," then let's be fair to those employed who are providing the money for the assistance and require nothing less from those on the receiving end. I asked around and have not found one working person who thinks this mandatory drug testing proposal isn't a good idea. If taking a drug test is the only "work" a welfare recipient needs to do to get paid, then so be it. Bruce R. Gary; Rhinelander, Wis. [end]
USA TODAY's article "States consider drug testing welfare recipients" prompts the question: Why stop at poor people who receive public benefits? For example, why not test all students in state-funded schools and mothers who give birth in publicly funded hospitals? In Arizona and Missouri, an individual is tested if there is reason to believe he or she is a substance abuser. The legislation proposed in Colorado would test all applicants for the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. This stigmatizes poor families and is ultimately a losing battle. Money should be dedicated to more prevention, education, treatment, and broad public-relations campaigns that extol the benefits of a wellness lifestyle and drug-free life. Testing might seem like an easy and convenient solution. But it is often counterproductive, expensive and a poor substitute for sound public policy. Peter Provet, president & CEO; Odyssey House; New York City Odyssey House is a non-profit social services organization. [end]
A growing percentage of teens do not see marijuana use as a distraction while driving, and nearly one in five (19%) say they have gotten behind the wheel after smoking pot, a study reported Wednesday. Thirteen percent of teens report driving under the influence of alcohol. In the study of nearly 2,300 11th- and 12th-graders across the country, commissioned by Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD, 70% of teens say marijuana use is "very" or "extremely" distracting to their driving, down from 78% in 2009. [continues 324 words]
Supreme Court rules warrant needed for GPS tracking WASHINGTON - In a major decision on privacy in the digital age, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that police need a warrant before attaching a GPS device to a person's car. The ruling, which marked the justices' first-ever review of GPS tracking, was unanimous. The justices divided, however, on how the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures applies to such high-tech tracking. The case, which during November oral arguments prompted justices' references to George Orwell's futuristic novel 1984, ensures that police cannot use the Global Positioning System to continuously track a suspect before presenting sufficient grounds and obtaining a warrant from a judge. [continues 597 words]
Ron Paul must have known the question was coming. For weeks, he had been dogged by charges that newsletters published in his name in the 1980s and 1990s contained racist content. So he probably wasn't surprised when ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked him during a televised debate three days before the New Hampshire primary how that could have happened without his knowledge. But no one on the stage with the Texas congressman =AD not the other contenders for the Republican Party's presidential nomination who bristle with contempt for their libertarian colleague or the panel of journalists wielding the questions =AD was ready for Paul's answer. [continues 450 words]
Some Eye Raids As Too Risky A Tactic The recent surge in fatal police shootings is weighing heavily on law enforcement trainers, some of whom are calling for a reassessment of high-risk fugitive and drug raids that have resulted in a number of deadly ambushes. "It's time to change our thinking," says Pat McCarthy, who advises police agencies across the country. "Cops are exposing themselves to increasing danger many times over, and it's just not necessary." Harvey Hedden, executive director of the International Law Enforcement Trainers and Educators Association, said the group is urging its 4,000 members to "look at everything" in an effort to avoid potentially dangerous complacency on the streets. [continues 346 words]
Nearly one in nine high school seniors have gotten high in the past year on synthetic drugs, such as "K2" or "Spice," second only to the number of teens who have used marijuana, a new survey shows. "Monitoring the Future," the nation's most comprehensive survey of teenage drug use, found 11.4% of the high school seniors had used the synthetic substances, often packed as potpourri or herbal incense and sold in convenience stores, which mimic the effects of marijuana. [continues 485 words]
Recreational use of the illegal drug known as ecstasy is associated with long-term changes in brain chemistry, a small, new study reveals. Based on research with women, it appears that the so-called "rave" drug can induce a drop in serotonin levels that can last up to two years. Serotonin, the research team noted, is critical to the regulation of mood, appetite, sleep, learning and memory. "We've always known that ecstasy produced transient effects, but with the suggestion that there would be recovery over time," explained study co-author Dr. Ronald Cowan, an associate professor of psychiatry in the department of psychiatry with Vanderbilt University Medical Center's School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. "But here we find that these effects may be sustained over time with no evidence of reversal," he added. [continues 731 words]
HIDALGO, Texas - Clyde knows a thing or two about men hiding. If there's someone squatting in the bush near the Rio Grande, the 5-year-old gelding will prick up his ears, give a snort and stop in his tracks, despite gentle rib kicks from his rider. If people make a run for the river, he'll crash through brush and branches after them. Or he could be quiet as a breath and walk right up to a circle of unsuspecting smugglers. [continues 786 words]
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court confronted the question of whether a cocaine trafficker could reasonably expect his movements to be private as he drove around the city selling drugs -- or whether police, without first obtaining a warrant, could use a GPS device to track his movements 24/7, something they could unquestionably do through an old-fashioned tail. Law enforcement faces a difficult challenge to keep up with criminals who utilize advanced technology to commit crimes. Whether it is drug dealers using disposable cellphones or terrorists communicating by Internet, the government cannot fight today's crime using yesterday's means. This is particularly true in an era of shrinking budgets and, indeed, nationwide budgetary crises. [continues 235 words]
Should government agents be allowed to plant a GPS device in your car and track your movements wherever you go? In fact, should they be allowed to do the same to every citizen, every day, without even bothering to prove the need to a judge? The government's answer, recited by one of its attorneys to a skeptical Supreme Court on Tuesday, is yes. Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben told the court that, according to its own precedents, police could secretly track the justices themselves. [continues 448 words]
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on hundreds of California medical-marijuana dispensaries that they say are fronts for drug dealing. The aggressive and wide-ranging action targets commercial operations that are growing and supplying large quantities of marijuana, and dispensaries and stores located near schools and parks, prosecutors said. "The California marijuana industry is not about providing medicine to the sick," said Laura Duffy, the U.S. attorney in San Diego. "It's a pervasive for-profit industry that violates federal law." [continues 683 words]
HELENA, Mont. - Robbie Regennitter is a registered medical-marijuana patient Regennitter says he ingests approximately 10-20 milligrams of THC -- the active compound in marijuana -- each night before bed to ease the painful symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and an esophagus condition. Regennitter is also a hunter and gun owner. According to a new memo from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it is illegal for him or any registered medical-marijuana patient to own or possess firearms or ammunition. [continues 558 words]
Drug use among college-age adults is increasing, driven largely by an increase marijuana use, a national drug-use survey has found. Nearly one in 10 Americans report regularly using illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants or prescription drugs used recreationally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health made public today. The survey, sponsored by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), collects the data from interviews with 67,500 randomly selected people 12 years or older. [continues 745 words]
If Florida Gov. Rick Scott and the Republicans want to require drug testing for people who take public money, why draw the line at the welfare rolls ("Drug testing of welfare applicants a GOP fishing expedition")? Why not, as one member of the Alabama state legislature has suggested, require drug testing for state legislators and recipients of federal money? That should include chief executive officers who receive taxpayer-funded bailouts and government subsidies, state and federal contractors and -- best of all -- the lawmakers who enact these blatant violations of Fourth Amendment rights. [continues 65 words]
During his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, Rick Scott promised to keep drug abusers off Florida's welfare rolls. Scott, who called for drug testing of welfare applicants with Elmer Gantry-like fervor and credibility while on the stump, got his way earlier this year when the state's GOP-dominated legislature passed a law requiring such examinations. "Studies show that people that are on welfare are higher users of (illegal) drugs than people not on welfare," the Florida governor said on CNN shortly before the law took effect in July. While there are also studies that dispute Scott's contention, his push for drug testing has inspired copycat efforts in at least 26 other states. [continues 454 words]
It is a national disgrace that about one in every 31 adults in America is in jail or on supervised release. Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel highlight the problem and offer five suggestions to address the issue. I have a suggestion that could reduce the numbers of people who have to go to prison and that would benefit society. It would do the following: Recognize a problem that should be medically treated and not incarcerated. Reduce crime with the cataclysmic drop in the price of street drugs, making it no longer necessary to rob, assault or kill to feed an addiction. [continues 81 words]
Here's one of the strangest pairings of late in Congress: Reps. Ron Paul and Barney Frank are teaming up today on legislation to legalize marijuana. The legislation by Paul, a libertarian-thinking Texas Republican running for president, and Frank, a liberal Massachusetts Democrat, is being touted by the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). The bill to be introduced by Frank and Paul would allow states to "legalize, regulate, tax and control marijuana without federal interference." California voters last year rejected Proposition 19, which would have allowed marijuana to be sold for recreational use. Voters in Colorado and Washington state could vote on the issue this year. [continues 123 words]
The number of college athletes testing positive for marijuana at postseason events nearly tripled in the NCAA's most recent analysis. Though the association says it's too early to draw conclusions from the finding, one anti-doping official says it raises concern. The number of positive marijuana tests across all three divisions increased from 28 in 2008-09 to 71 in 2009-10. Although the positives represent less than 3% of the total samples tested by the NCAA, the increase worries Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which is the national anti-doping organization for the Olympic movement. [continues 236 words]
As legislatures nationwide debate whether to legalize medical marijuana, colleges and universities in states where laws have been adopted say their campuses will remain drug-free. The reason: Marijuana use and possession violates federal law, and colleges don't want to risk losing federal funding. This year, 13 state legislatures are considering proposals to legalize medical marijuana, and four more are looking at bills, says Morgan Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project, a group that advocates loosening marijuana laws. Proposals to tighten or ease laws are pending in at least 10 of the 15 states, plus the District of Columbia, where medical marijuana is legal. [continues 327 words]
His Story Is a Warning About Use of Painkillers TAMPA - Standing before a packed hall of 700 military doctors and medics here, the deputy commander of the nation's elite special operations forces warned about an epidemic of chronic pain sweeping through the U.S. military after a decade of continuous war. Be careful about handing out narcotic pain relievers, Lt. Gen. David Fridovich told the audience last month. "What we don't want is that next generation of veterans coming out with some bad habits." [continues 1835 words]
The Drug War Is a Threat to U.S. Security. It's Time for a Full-Court Press. SAN DIEGO - Many Americans see Mexico as a dysfunctional family in the neighborhood. With the start of a new year, and a new Congress, President Obama needs to persuade the American people to see Mexico in a different light - as one of the most explosive countries in the region capable of creating a major foreign policy crisis for the U.S. There's no better time to start than with Obama's upcoming State of the Union address. [continues 830 words]
Violence Shrinks Ranks by Half, but Some Doctors Are Fighting Back MEXICO CITY - Trauma specialist Jose Alberto Betancourt was kidnapped from the parking lot of a Ciudad Juarez hospital after finishing work Dec. 2. He was found murdered two days later after negotiations with the kidnappers - who had demanded 2 million pesos (about $160,000) - broke down. The violence that has claimed more than 3,000 lives in Ciudad Juarez last year has hit physicians especially hard. Their upper-middle-class status has made them targets for kidnappers and extortion demands. [continues 675 words]
It's time the USA woke up and realized keeping drugs illegal only makes them more profitable for drug dealers ("If California goes to pot, rest of U.S. gets dragged in," Our view, Marijuana debate, Wednesday). Let's bring the decades-long war to an end by legalizing all drugs and dispersing them through drugstores. Then use the taxes generated on the sales to treat drug abuse as a health issue, which it is. We would also save money by ceasing the fruitless prosecution and incarceration of drug users. And it would put drug cartels out of business. We could then focus on the true consumption epidemic raging in this country: obesity. Roger L. Schlaifer Amelia Island, Fla. [end]
I am tired of people in favor of legalizing marijuana saying that it would stop the drug dealers. This is just plain nonsense. If Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana in California, passed in November, it would still be illegal for those younger than 18 to use the drug. Thus who do you think would be selling it to the children? Drug dealers, of course. If California approved this measure, it would become an even more backward state than it is. More people would smoke marijuana, and thus there could be more drug addicts demanding more free services. Dick Meyer Waxhaw, N.C. [end]
Whatever happened to the idea of trying out new ideas in the "laboratory of the states"? It is a concept often mentioned in U.S. Supreme Court proceedings in contentious issues such as the right to die and abortion. Prohibitionists would have us believe that the Controlled Substances Act is "settled law." It might have been settled a few years ago, but not now, and certainly not in California. The U.S. Department of Justice should leave California alone to try its experiment with regulation. It would be enlightening for us all. John Chase Palm Harbor, Fla. [end]
Your editorial on marijuana legalization was pathetic. Children and the nation are more harmed by the erosion of civil liberties and the fact that we have the highest per capita incarceration rate in the civilized world. In 2007, there were more than 800,000 marijuana arrests. Combine this with the profit-driven drug violence in Mexico and our own cities, which is driven by "prohibition," and USA TODAY's case is rendered meaningless. Portugal is the case to consider. Its officials have said the legalization process led to lower drug use. We should be ashamed of our incarceration rates and end this ridiculous war against "reefer madness." Chip Wilkins Nashville [end]
Supporters of legalizing marijuana make interesting arguments about respecting adults' personal liberty, choking off a major source of drug cartel profits, and saving law enforcement resources for higher priorities. Interesting, but not enough, in our view, to offset the even more compelling reasons why voters in trend-setting California would be wise to reject legalization when they go to the polls Nov. 2. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a law making possession of up to an ounce of marijuana equal to a traffic ticket, but if Proposition 19 passed - and polls suggest it has a decent chance - California would go even further. It would be legal for adults to possess, smoke and grow pot for recreational purposes. [continues 526 words]
