MARIJUANA PROHIBITION BACKFIRES

Regarding the Dec. 20 editorial on methamphetamine production in Spokane,
meth is the latest dangerous drug to make headlines across America but it
won't be the last. When it comes to protecting children from drugs, the
drug war fails miserably. The thriving black market is very much youth
oriented. Unlike legitimate businesses that sell liquor, illegal drug
dealers working the black market do not ID for age but they do push
profitable, addictive drugs like meth when given the chance. Sensible
regulation is desperately needed to undermine the black market and restrict
access to illicit drugs. Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug.
Compared to legal alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is relatively harmless.
Yet marijuana prohibition is deadly. While there is nothing inherent in
marijuana that compels users to try drugs like meth or heroin, its black
market status puts users in contact with criminals who push them. Current
drug policy is effectively a gateway policy.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, replacing marijuana prohibition with
regulation would do a better job protecting children from drugs than the
failed drug war.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., Washington, D.C.