REGULATE AND TAX MARIJUANA

In her Dec. 3 column, "Off the Deep End -- The dangerous side of
marijuana," Katy Sweeny makes the common mistake of blaming marijuana
for the problems caused by its prohibition.

The violence and environmental damage she describes exist solely
because marijuana is illegal. As an agricultural product, marijuana
is not unusual. But because we don't allow legitimate farmers to grow
it, the business is left to unregulated criminals who obey no labor,
safety or environmental laws, answer to no one and whose imperative
is to get in, get their crop and get out before the police find them.
There's a reason, after all, we don't hear of Mexican wine cartels
planting cabernet sauvignon in remote areas.

As a recreational drug, marijuana is, by any objective standard,
safer than alcohol. It's less addictive, massively less toxic and,
unlike booze, does not make users aggressive and violent. Exaggerated
claims not withstanding, marijuana use has never been shown to lead
to increased rates of psychosis or lung cancer. It's time to regulate
and tax marijuana like we do beer, wine or liquor, so that we can
have appropriate controls.

Bruce Mirken, Director of Communications

Marijuana Policy Project

San Francisco