CONTROL OF DRUG IN WRONG HANDS

Regarding the Nov. 22 editorial on medical marijuana,
the plant has been used both medicinally and
recreationally for thousands of years. Marijuana is one of the most
studied plants around.

The alleged need for further studies is nothing more than a ruse
perpetrated by entrenched interests riding the drug war gravy train.

Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in
need, but adult recreational use should be regulated as well.

The reason for this is simple: leaving the distribution of popular
recreational drugs in the hands of organized crime puts children at
great risk. 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 heroin when given the chance.

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. As for medical marijuana, doctors should be
the ones deciding what is best for their patients, not government
bureaucrats.

ROBERT SHARPE,
Program Officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation,
Washington, D.C.