LEGALIZING POT MAY CURB HARD DRUG USE

Thanks for publishing Greg Francisco's thoughtful letter, "Stop
getting tough on drugs, get smart" (The Times, Dec. 13).

If tough-on-drugs policies worked, the idealistic goal of a drug-free
America would have been reached a long time ago.

And if tolerant marijuana policies caused more hard-drug use and
crime, the Czech Republic would have much higher rates of hard-drug
use and crime.

They do not.

The Czech Republic is the only country in the world where adult
citizens can legally use, purchase, possess and grow small quantities
of marijuana. (In the Netherlands, marijuana is quasi-legal - not
officially legal.)

The Czech overall drug arrest rate is 1 per 100,000 population. The
United States' overall drug arrest rate is 585 per 100,000 population.

The Czech robbery rate is 2 per 100,000 population. The United
States' robbery rate is 160.2 per 100,000 population, according to the FBI.

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?

Could it be that the vast majority our so-called "drug-related crime"
is caused by our marijuana-prohibition policies?

KIRK MUSE

Mesa, AZ