POT LAWS CREATE CRIMINALS, SQUANDER PUBLIC RESOURCES

Editor,

Regarding Zach Gould's March 8 column, I would like to comment that
the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there
were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for
simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are
laying off police, fireghters and teachers, this country continues to
spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer
marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is
not necessarily lower rates of use.

The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where
marijuana is legally available. An admitted former pot smoker,
President Obama has thus far maintained the prohibition status quo
rather than pursue real change. Would Barack Obama be in the White
House right now if he had been convicted of a marijuana offense in his
youth?

Decriminalization is a long overdue step in the right direction.
Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As
long as marijuana distribution is controlled by organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard
drugs like meth and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of
marijuana prohibition. Students who want to reform marijuana laws
should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at
SchoolsNotPrisons.com.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy