PROHIBITION PROVIDES FUEL FOR DRUG CRIME

Regarding your March 22 editorial, 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 drug trafficking. For
addictive drugs like 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, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to the never-ending drug war.

As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like
methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is a direct result
of marijuana prohibition.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy