MARIJUANA POLICY MAKES LITTLE SENSE

To the editor:

Regarding Taylor Armerding's March 30 column, Rep. Barney Frank's
marijuana bill is a step in the right direction.

There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and
protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the
social reality of marijuana use and frees users from criminal
records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age
controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As
long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized
crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of
hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is the direct
result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

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

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington