MAKING MARIJUANA LEGAL WOULD HELP STOP METH

Dear editor,

How should BC respond to the growing use of crystal methamphetamine?

Here in the United States, New York City chose the zero tolerance
approach during the crack epidemic of the eighties.

Meanwhile, Washington, DC was lax on crack and America's capital had
the highest per capita murder rate in the nation.

Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously soon after.

The decline was not due to a slick anti-drug advertising campaign or
the passage of mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

Simply put, the younger generation saw first-hand what crack was
doing to their older siblings and decided for themselves that crack
was bad news.

This is not to say nothing can be done about meth. Access to drug
treatment is critical for the current generation of users.

In order to protect future generations from hard drugs like meth,
policy makers need to adopt the Canadian Senate's common sense
proposal to tax and regulate marijuana.

As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized
crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with addictive
drugs like meth.

This "gateway" remains open because of a fundamentally flawed policy
on marijuana.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like
to think the children are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Arlington, VA