HANDLE MARIJUANA WITH TAX, REGULATION

Regarding editorial writer Andie Dominick's May 8 essay on medical marijuana:

Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in
need, but adult recreational use should be regulated.

Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a
youth-oriented black market. Dealers of illegal drugs 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 limit
the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only
increase the profitability of trafficking. For addictive drugs, such
as 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.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to a never-ending drug war. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs such as
cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition.

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