THE WRONG RESPONSE TO MARIJUANA USE

Editor:

Regarding your Dec. 1 editorial on medical marijuana, if health
outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana
would be legal.

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 same
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.

The following Virginia Law Review article offers a good overview of
the cultural roots of marijuana legislation:
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlrtoc.htm

For additional historical background, please see the Canadian Senate
report at
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.pdf

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy