DRUG LAWS OVERSTATE RISK OF MARIJUANA SMOKING

Thank you for your eminently sensible editorial on marijuana
laws.

Indeed, the scientific data clearly show -- despite the hype from
federal officials addicted to the drug war -- that marijuana is
markedly less toxic and less addictive than alcohol.

Still, any intoxicating substance can be harmful when used recklessly,
and all agree that use by children should be discouraged. So what do
we do?

A strong case can be made that replacing the current policy of
prohibition with regulation of adult use makes the most sense. While
we are told that marijuana prohibition is necessary to "protect kids,"
recent figures from the National Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention show that more teens currently smoke marijuana than smoke
cigarettes. At least in part, that's because regulated tobacco
merchants can be fined or shut down if they sell to kids. Under
prohibition, we have no such control over marijuana dealers.

Bruce Mirken

director of communications, Marijuana Policy Project

San Francisco, Calif.