IT'S TIME TO STOP TREATING MARIJUANA USE AS CRIME

To the editor: Cannabis (marijuana) sales do not add crime to
neighborhoods ("Marijuana sales attract crime to neighborhood," March
1) but cannabis prohibition does. Cannabis is a relatively safe
God-given plant that millions of otherwise honest law-abiding citizens
choose to use and arguably should be immediately re-legalized. Even
government studies historically discredit the "gateway" theory.

The so-called gateway to hard drugs exists because people who sell
cannabis sometimes also sell hard drugs. In fact, the ignorant
cannabis laws themselves create gateway drug problems since cannabis
is misclassified as a Schedule I substance while meth is only a
Schedule II substance, and when people try cannabis they then may
think meth is no big deal either.

And habits? Cannabis is less addictive than caffeine and coffee
drinkers aren't committing crime to acquire it. It's clearly time to
stop caging responsible adults for using and selling cannabis.

Stan White, Dillon, Colo.