PHELPS CASE HIGHLIGHTS MISGUIDED LAWS

Re Holding His Head High, Feb. 4 editorial

Olympian Michael Phelps is in good company. The list of professional
athletes caught using marijuana is long. Could it be that drug warriors
have been lying about marijuana's health impact? They've definitely been
lying about the deterrent value of marijuana prohibition. The United
States has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where
marijuana is legally available to adults over 18. Marijuana prohibition is
built on lies, beginning with the reefer madness myths of the 1930s and
continuing to this day with U.S. government propaganda masquerading as
science. As an admitted former pot smoker, U.S. President Barack Obama no
doubt knows the truth about marijuana. Truthfully, marijuana is easily the
least harmful recreational drug, legal or otherwise. If health outcomes
determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal.
The question is, will President Obama bring change or will he continue to
subsidize the prejudices of culture warriors?

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington D.C.