TAX AND REGULATE MARIJUANA

In response to the May 7 Big Daddy column: Taxing and regulating
marijuana makes sense. Drug policies modeled after alcohol
prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal
drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to
adult sentences. So much for protecting the children.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to
eliminate the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant
only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive
drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts
to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war
doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Legalizing marijuana is a cost-effective alternative to continued
drug war failure. As long as organized crime controls marijuana
distribution, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard
drugs like cocaine and meth. This "gateway" is a direct result of
marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe, Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C.