A SENSIBLE MARIJUANA PLAN

Kudos to Chicago Police Sgt. Tom Donegan for proposing that Chicago law
enforcement officers ticket rather than arrest adults caught with small
amounts of marijuana ["Cop wants to fine -- not jail -- potheads," news
story, Sept. 20].

Since 1973, 12 state legislatures -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio
and Oregon -- have enacted versions of marijuana decriminalization. In each
of these states, adults no longer face jail time (nor in most cases, arrest
or criminal records) for the possession or use of small amounts of
marijuana. Contrary to opponents' claims, these laws have not contributed
to an increase in marijuana consumption nor negatively impacted adolescent
attitudes toward drug use.

Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion
annually, results in the arrest of more than 700,000 individuals per year,
and needlessly damages the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands of
otherwise law-abiding citizens. Donegan is to be commended for proposing a
common-sense alternative to this failed policy.

Paul Armentano, Senior Policy Analyst, NORML Foundation