LEGALIZING MARIJUANA COULD CUT CRIME

I'm writing about Robert Sharpe's outstanding letter: "Drug war fuels crime" ( 3-25-06 ).

I'd like to add that our marijuana prohibition policies apparently motivate marijuana users to use other, much more dangerous drugs, like meth, cocaine and heroin.

There is only one country in the world where marijuana is officially legal for adults to grow and possess small quantities -The Czech Republic. ( In the Netherlands marijuana is quasi legal-not officially legal. )

The Czech overall drug arrest rate is 1 per 100,000 population. The U. S. overall drug arrest rate is 585 per 100,000 population.

The Czech robbery rate is 2 per 100,000 population. The U. S. robbery rate is 145.9 per 100,000 population, according to the F. B. I.

According to our drug war cheerleaders, tolerant marijuana laws cause people to use other, much more dangerous drugs like 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-not a gateway?

Kirk Muse,

Mesa, AZ