REGULATING MARIJUANA A COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE

To the Editor,

Re: Pot decision a good step, Jan. 17.

Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in
need, but adult recreational use should be regulated.

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 recruit minors
immune to adult sentences.

So much for protecting the children.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit
the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only
increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads
desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate
habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war.

As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized
crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs
like methamphetamine.

This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed
policy.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than alcohol - the plant has
never been shown to cause an overdose death - it makes no sense to
waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized crime and
facilitate hard drug use.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like
to think the children are more important than the message.

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington, D.C.