Pubdate: Wed, 12 Mar 2014
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2014 The Register-Guard
Contact: http://www.registerguard.com/web/opinion/#contribute-a-letter
Website: http://www.registerguard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n237/a01.html

U.S. CURBS ON MARIJUANA HAVE FAILED

Regarding the March 10 editorial on marijuana law reform, there's no
excuse for legislators' failure to lead. The days when politicians can
get away with deliberately confusing the drug war's tremendous
collateral damage involving a comparatively harmless plant are over.

A majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana. More
important, it's the right thing to do. If the goal of marijuana
prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a
grand success; the drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics.

If the goal is to deter its use, marijuana prohibition is a
catastrophic failure. The United States has almost double the
marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available.

The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has
no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed
cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign.
Our country can no longer afford to subsidize the prejudices of
culture warriors. It's time to stop the pointless arrests and instead
tax legal marijuana.

ROBERT SHARPE, POLICY ANALYST COMMON SENSE FOR DRUG POLICY

Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Matt