LIBERALIZE USE OF MARIJUANA

Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in
need, but adult recreational use should be regulated.

Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a
youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age,
but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for
protecting the children.

Throwing more money at the drug problem is no solution. Attempts to
limit supply while demand remains constant only increase the
profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a
spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal
activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime,
it fuels crime.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs. This
"gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

It makes no sense to waste limited law enforcement resources on
marijuana policies that finance organized crime and facilitate hard
drug use. Reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to
think the children are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC 20012