MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGAL

Dear Editor,

Regarding Abraham Brown's thoughtful Jan. 25 column, "America needs
to rethink ineffective marijuana prohibition," if health outcomes
determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be
legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an
overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of
tobacco. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail
cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents.

The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican
immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the
American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires
homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans
did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched
government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda.

By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California,
the very same U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that claims
illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients
into the hands of street dealers. Apparently marijuana prohibition is
more important than protecting the country from terrorism.

Robert Sharpe, MPA Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy