LEGALIZING POT MAKES SENSE

Regarding your April 18 editorial "Winds of change," 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. 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 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 is a cost-effective alternative to a
never-ending drug war. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled
by organized crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with
hard drugs. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana
prohibition.

Robert Sharpe

policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington