MARIJUANA SHOULD BE REGULATED

Editor;

Regarding Tom Fletcher's column (Peace Arch News, Nov. 22), there is
a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce
disease, death and crime among chronic users. Providing addicts with
standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many problems
associated with heroin use.

Heroin maintenance pilot projects are underway in Canada, England,
Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin
maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base.

This would render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare
future generations addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without
the ubiquitous advertising.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime,
consumers of the most popular illicit drug will continue to come into
contact with sellers of cocaine.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy