PROHIBITION NO SOLUTION

Re: Dr. Michael T. Jamison's April 27 commentary, "Medicinal
marijuana at what cost?":

Dr. Jamison is confused about the argument related to alcohol. The
argument is simply this: Just because something is dangerous doesn't
mean that prohibition is the solution.

Why is alcohol legal? It isn't because alcohol is safe. Alcohol is
clearly dangerous, more dangerous than marijuana by any standard of
measure. But alcohol Prohibition didn't solve the alcohol problems,
it only made them worse. Homicides skyrocketed. The Mafia got rich.
Police corruption was so bad that they shipped convicted cops off to
prison literally by the trainload. By 1925, arrests for public
drunkenness and similar crimes were already above the pre-Prohibition
records. Worst of all was the effect on children. Alcohol Prohibition
produced the biggest teen drinking epidemic ever seen among U.S. children.

The only reason alcohol is legal is because we proved conclusively
that Prohibition only drives the problems underground and makes them
worse. The lesson is about Pprohibition, not alcohol.

Even if Jamison had made the right diagnosis of the social problem,
he missed the correct treatment. He needs to go back to the books. He
can start with major studies of drugs and drug policy at
http://druglibrary.org/schaffer. This collection includes the full
text of every major government commission report on marijuana from
around the world in the last 100 years. In short, they say that
marijuana prohibition was based on racism, ignorance and nonsense,
and that it causes more harm than good. He should also read the short
history of marijuana laws at
http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm It is both funny
and fascinating.

If he wants a better understanding of the problems of modern drug
policy in general, I suggest he start with the "Consumers Union
Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs" at
http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm. It is
the best overall review of the subject ever written. He will find
surprises on every page.

- -- Clifford A. Schaffer, Director, Schaffer Library of Drug Policy, Agua Dulce