A WAR ON MARIJUANA SMOKERS

Regarding David Downs' August 11 column, the drug war is largely a war
on marijuana smokers.

In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the United States,
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
criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis.

The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower
rates of use. The United States has higher rates of marijuana use than
the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available.

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 distribution, marijuana consumers
will come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like
methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.

This "gateway" is a direct result of marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy,
Washington, DC