Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jan 2013
Source: Cowichan Valley Citizen (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 Cowichan Valley Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/cowichanvalleycitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4349
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n654/a10.html

ONLY WINNERS IN POT WAR ARE DRUG CARTELS

Please consider publishing the following brief letter in response to 
your Dec. 19 editorial: Now that neighbouring Washington state and 
Colorado have legalized marijuana, Ottawa can no longer claim Canada 
must uphold marijuana prohibition in order to maintain good U.S. relations.

In 2002, the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs 
concluded that marijuana is relatively benign, prohibition 
contributes to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have 
little impact on patterns of use.

Consider the experience of the former land of the free and current 
world leader in per capita incarceration. The United States has 
double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana 
is legally available to adults. The only winners in the war on 
marijuana are drug cartels and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians 
who've built careers confusing the drug war's tremendous collateral 
damage with a plant.

2008 WHO survey confirming higher rates of use in United States: ( 
www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050141 ) 
United Nations drug stats: (www.unodc.org/) Comparative analysis of 
U.S. vs. Dutch rates of drug use: 
(www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Netherlands_v_US) For additional 
information please see the Canadian Senate report: 
(www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/press-e/04sep02-e.htm)

Robert Sharpe Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom