MARIJUANA

Legalizing Drug Would Cut Meth Use

I'm writing about Kelly Greenwell's outstanding letter, "Marijuana,"
published Oct. 8 in West Hawaii Today.

I submit that the vast majority of drug users would use only
marijuana if it were available at an affordable price. But it is not
available at an affordable price. During the early 1970s, marijuana
sold for $10 to $20 an ounce. Now, it sells for up to $300 an ounce.

Today's price of marijuana is the result of the "prohibition tax"
that goes to organized criminals -- the government gets nothing.

If beer drinkers cannot get any beer, they switch to another type of
alcoholic beverage.

If a marijuana user cannot obtain marijuana at an affordable price,
many switch to other drugs -- like meth. And because marijuana is
illegal, it is sold only by criminals. Criminals who often sell other
drugs -- like meth. And their marijuana suppliers often give out free
samples of other drugs -- like meth.

Thus the so-called "gateway effect."

If marijuana were legally available in licensed business
establishments like tobacco and alcohol, our meth problem would be a
tiny fraction of what it is today.

Our counterproductive drug policies have made the least toxic drug
the most expensive, and the most toxic drug, the least expensive.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.