RECONSIDER LAWS GOVERNING MARIJUANA

It's amazing to me that our country still refuses to see what most other
countries in the world see. Most countries in Western Europe either already
have decriminalized personal possession of marijuana or are on the verge of
it. Talk of drug legalization and regulation is heard from nearly every
country in Latin America. Canada's senate just completed a two-year study
on marijuana, reviewed hundreds of studies from around the world and held
hearings with testimony from scores of experts on the subject. The senate's
recommendation? Legalize it and sell it as they do alcohol. The rest of the
world is tired of drugs and drug dealers destroying their countries and
wants to take back control of their streets. 'Legalize and regulate' is the
cry heard around the world -- except here.

In the United States, despite the threat of terrorism and severe budget
problems, our Justice Department assigns more than 1,000 agents to arrest a
few hippies selling marijuana pipes over the Internet. Sick people dying of
AIDS and cancer are thrown in prison for attempting to relieve their
suffering. We destroy lives daily by handing out criminal records for drug
offenses to otherwise honest, good people. We fill our prisons with
nonviolent drug offenders. Pregnant female drug offenders routinely are
forced to give birth shackled to their prison hospital beds. We lie to our
children and spend billions of tax dollars on this failed policy. All this
and drugs are cheaper, purer, and easier to obtain than ever before on our
streets.

Isn't it time we woke up and reconsidered the way we handle drugs in this
society?

Nicolas Eyle

Executive Director

Reconsider: Forum On Drug Policy

Syracuse, N.Y.