WRONG ON POT

The hazardous methamphetamine lab mentioned in your Aug. 4 editorial is akin
to the deadly exploding liquor stills that sprang up throughout the nation
during alcohol prohibition.

Methamphetamine is the latest dangerous drug to be making headlines, but it
won't be the last until policymakers acknowledge the drug war's inherent
failure.

Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a
youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but
they do push addictive drugs like meth. There are cost-effective
alternatives.

In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by
replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation.

Dutch rates of drug use are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every
category. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age
controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance.

As the most popular illegal drug, marijuana provides the black market
contacts that introduce youth to hard drugs like meth. This "gateway" is
the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

Program Officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation

Washington, D.C.