ERADICATING MARIJUANA IS ESSENTIAL

A recent editorial conveys a tone that eradicating or controlling the
growing and use of marijuana might not be "worth it."

Marijuana is a drug -- a drug that harms members of our communities. It
has a high potential for abuse.

Ask the parents of the 795 kids who put their children through a
substance-abuse program, with marijuana being their primary substance
of abuse. Ask them if the fight against illegal drugs is worth it. Ask
the adults who went through substance-abuse programs for marijuana use
if it is worth it. Keep in mind, a third of the people who go through
drug-treatment programs here do so as a result of a law enforcement
referral.

Marijuana potency has increased over the past two decades. According
to the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi,
the psychoactive chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol content of
commercial-grade marijuana during the late 1970s and early 1980s was
less than 2 percent, whereas today it has grown to 12.26 percent and
upward of 40 percent for exceptionally-high-grade marijuana.

Marijuana has a great and growing potential for abuse, given the lure
of increasing potency.

The Police Department has always believed that any counter-drug
program should be more than simple eradication or confiscation. Drug
interdiction and eradication can only have a limited impact on the
flow of drugs, and any sound drug-control strategy must be supported
by other programs and approaches if it is to succeed. Prevention and
education are key components in that strategy. Additionally, drug
treatment is a must for those who need it.

Is a well-balanced approach to the drug problem that includes
prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts worth it? I believe it
is, and because of all three, our community is a better place in which
to live. It can be even better with increased focus on these areas.

Maj. Susan Dowsett
Narcotics/Vice Division
Honolulu Police Department