CZECH THIS OUT: MARIJUANA USE DOES NOT RUIN A SOCIETY

I'm writing about Robert Sharpe's outstanding letter ["Legalize
marijuana and decriminalize good people," April 10].

I'd like to add that while the majority of European Union countries
have decriminalized marijuana, only one country has actually legalized
marijuana: the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is the only country in the world where adults can
legally use, possess, and grow small quantities of marijuana. (In the
Netherlands, marijuana is not officially legal.)

The Czech overall drug arrest rate is one per 100,000 population. The
overall drug arrest rate in the U.S. is 585 per 100,000 population.

The Czech robbery rate is 2 per 100,000 population. The robbery rate
in the U.S. is 145.9 per 100,000 population, according to the FBI.

According to our drug-war cheerleaders, tolerant marijuana laws cause
people to use other, much more dangerous, drugs such as meth and heroin.

Obviously, this doesn't happen in the Czech Republic. Why
not?

Could it be that when people can legally obtain marijuana at an
affordable price, they tend not to use or desire any other
recreational drugs?

Could it be that marijuana legalization actually creates a roadblock
to hard-drug use, rather than a gateway?

Could it be that the vast majority of our so-called "drug-related
crime" is caused by our marijuana prohibition policies?

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.