TIME TO END WAR ON DRUGS? LET THE DISCUSSIONS BEGIN

You know it's time to pay attention when liberals and conservatives
begin to voice the same thought: How much longer can we afford to
treat marijuana as a dangerous drug?

The push to legalize marijuana has been promoted by liberal groups
for decades. But as state and federal governments looks for ways to
cut costs and raise revenues, conservatives are chiming in.

The cover story of the March 7 issue of the Economist magazine laid
out an argument for ending the entire war on drugs. The magazine
pointed out that, despite all of the eradication efforts, the number
of people using illegal drugs has not decreased in the last 10 years.

Further, it noted, the United States spends $40 billion and arrests
1.5 million people a year in an attempt to reduce illegal drug
consumption. Keeping one prisoner in jail costs approximately $30,000
a year, and about half of the people in jail today are there because
of drug offenses.

U.S. drug policies are making criminal gangs rich beyond belief and
helping to destabilize countries around the world. It is now almost
suicidal to be a police officer in Mexico, where officers are
assassinated with impunity by drug lords -- violence that is spilling
into the United States. Afghanistan's warlords -- as well as the
Taliban, which has moved into parts of Pakistan -- support their
troops with profits from opium sales.

In the United States, organized crime is responsible for most of the
drug trade. These are the same kinds of gangs that made it rich
bootlegging alcohol during Prohibition in the early 20th century. It
should be clear by now that outlawing something only makes people want it more.

Proponents of marijuana legalization claim that instead of fighting
its use with courts and prisons, the government should legalize it,
tax it and educate people about its effects, just as is done with
cigarettes and alcohol. Instead of spending $40 billion a year, they
say, the U.S. could be making $40 billion a year in taxes.

Decriminalization also would allow more study on its medical benefits.

There are, of course, arguments against decriminalization. Children
already have too easy access to cigarettes and alcohol. Who wants to
add legalized marijuana to that mix? There are concerns about
marijuana leading to "harder" drugs, such as cocaine or
methamphetamine -- the kinds of drugs that account for most of the
drug-related prison sentences.

There are a lot of facts, myths and emotions on both sides of the
issue, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. And just because we
have criminalized it for 50 years, does not mean that we have to
continue doing so for the next 50 years.

As support for legalizing "possession of small amounts for personal
use" grows -- a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week showed 46
percent of Americans support that -- it is time for a national
discussion about America's drug policies.