GOVERNMENT WOULD BE WISE TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA USE

In response to the Aug. 5 column, "Legalizing marijuana would help
California's deficit," 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, firefighters and teachers,
this country continues to spend enormous public resources prosecuting
Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this
ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use.

According to a study in a press release by the State University of New
York at Albany, 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
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 organized crime controls marijuana distribution, consumers
will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like cocaine and
heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana
prohibition.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy