MARIJUANA ISN'T A DANGEROUS DRUG

Re: "Still fighting the War on Drugs," Sunday:

Edwin Meese III and Charles Stimson need a reality check. No one has
ever died from a marijuana overdose. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does
not cause violent behavior. Unlike cigarettes, marijuana does not cause cancer.

Even the government's Institute of Medicine found that "compared to
most other drugs ... dependence among marijuana users is relatively
rare."

We should not criminalize responsible adults for using something less
harmful than alcohol. Rather, society should regulate who can sell,
purchase, and use marijuana - the same way we do for alcohol and tobacco.

The alternative is keeping marijuana confined to an illegal market in
which drug dealers offer no quality control, commit acts of violence
to defend their turf, and have no qualms about selling to children.

Mike Meno

Director of communications

Marijuana Policy Project

Washington