LET MARIJUANA ISSUE BE IN STATE'S HANDS

Kudos to the Aurora Sentinel in its Aug. 31 editorial, "Tax dollars
wrong for DEA push," for rightly criticizing the Drug Enforcement
Administration's decision to use taxpayers' funds and paid staff time
to campaign against Amendment 44, The Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization
Initiative.

Regardless of whether one favors or disapproves of Amendment 44,
Colorado voters deserve the opportunity to decide this issue free from
undue, federally sponsored interference.

Of course, it's not surprising that the DEA would oppose any potential
liberalization to the current blanket prohibition of cannabis - a
policy that results in the arrest of some 750,000 Americans on
marijuana charges every year and costs taxpayers between $10 billion
and $12 billion annually.

Nevertheless, despite this costly criminal crackdown, the US National
Institute on Drug Abuse reports that 94 million Americans - that's 40
percent of the U.S. population age 12 or older - have used cannabis
during their lives.

It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as
criminals for their use of a substance that poses no greater - and
arguably far fewer - health risks than alcohol. The law should reflect
this reality, not deny it.

PAUL ARMENTANO

Senior policy analyst

NORML Foundation

Washington, D.C.