MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGAL

If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms,
marijuana would be legal (see news, "Marijuana woes," Nov. 1). Unlike
alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death,
nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can
be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health
interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws
were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s,
despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire
warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been
counterproductive at best.

White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be
entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness
propaganda. By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in
California, the very same U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that
claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS
patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently, marijuana
prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism.

ROBERT SHARPE, MPA

policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy