PROP 1 PITS PROPONENTS AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT

Passage Endangers Public Health And Safety.

Passage of Proposition 1 on April 8 would undermine the medical integrity
and safeguards established by the federal drug approval process, compromise
law enforcement efforts to combat drug trafficking, and endanger the public
health and safety. Moreover, this bill, which would decriminalize
possession of small amounts of marijuana and would permit possession with a
physician's recommendation, would directly conflict with federal law.

Marijuana use is prohibited under federal law because it has never been
proved in sound scientific studies that marijuana can be used safely and
effectively as medicine. These are precisely the reasons marijuana is
classified as a Schedule I controlled substance and has not been approved
as medicine by the Food and Drug Administration.

The bill is promoted by groups whose ultimate goal is the legalization of
all drugs, one state at a time. This is reflected in the fact that
Proposition 1 is worded and structured similarly to the marijuana
legalization laws that have been enacted in several other states in recent
years. It's no secret that a small but well-financed legalization lobby has
gone from state to state attempting to sell voters and legislators on the
false concept of "medical" marijuana.

The Drug Enforcement Administration's main reason for opposing Proposition
1 is not that it was written by persons who seek all-out legalization of
drugs, but rather, that DEA is fundamentally opposed to the bill because it
circumvents the federal drug approval process that has protected the U.S.
health-care system for decades. The United States is the safest country in
the world in which to obtain legitimate pharmaceutical drugs. Our laws
require that before a drug can be sold to the public as medicine, the
manufacturer must demonstrate - through rigorous and scientifically sound
clinical studies - that the drug is safe and effective for its intended
use. Federal law makes no exception for any drug. To do so would be to
undermine the integrity of the entire process. It is particularly troubling
that those who favor Proposition 1 are willing to circumvent the FDA
approval process for the very drug - marijuana - that happens to be the
most widely abused illegal drug in the United States.

In 2001, at DEA's request, the FDA completed a thorough analysis of the
relevant medical, scientific and abuse data. It concluded that marijuana
continues to meet the criteria for placement in Schedule I - that is, it
has a strong potential for abuse and no credible medical value that
outweighs its harmful values. The complete analysis was published in the
Federal Register on April 18, 2001. On the question of whether marijuana
can be used safely and effectively as medicine, the FDA noted that "there
have been no studies that have scientifically assessed the efficacy of
marijuana for any condition" and that "there are no FDA-approved marijuana
products." The FDA concluded that marijuana does not have an accepted
medical use in treatment or an accepted medical use with severe restrictions.

The known risks of marijuana use are not outweighed by any potential
benefits. In addition, the agency cannot conclude that marijuana has an
acceptable level of safety without assurance of a consistent and
predictable potency and without proof that the substance is free of
contamination. Therefore, the FDA concludes that, even under medical
supervision, marijuana has not been shown to have an acceptable level of
safety.

The work at DEA to prevent the violence of drug crime and the misery of
drug addiction is more important than ever, but some say we should not
continue the fight against drugs. They suggest that if we simply legalize
drugs, then the violence and addiction associated with illegal drugs will
fade away. They could not be more wrong.

U.S. drug policy is working. Overall drug use in the United States is down
50 percent since the late 1970s; that is 9.3 million fewer people using
illegal drugs. Cocaine use in this country has dropped by an astounding 75
percent during the past 15 years. Currently, 5 percent of the population
uses illegal drugs of any kind. By any standards, those are some pretty
good numbers, but when you think of these numbers as lives saved rather
than mere statistics, it brings home even more the need to continue this
important mission.

Given the proven links between drug abuse and other social problems such as
crime, domestic violence and child abuse, legalization of drugs and the
corresponding rise in use would overwhelm our criminal justice and social
welfare systems.

Drug legalization is an unworkable and uncompassionate suggestion to remedy
a complex problem. It would lead to higher crime rates and more suffering.
And it would send a message that we know is wrong: that illicit drugs are
not dangerous. They are dangerous, and any legitimate study of legalization
does conclude that most of our citizens would use drugs if they were legal.
We need a balanced approach to fighting drugs - one that incorporates
education, enforcement and treatment. Legalizing drugs is not the answer;
it is simply surrender. It is writing off those who are still in the grip
of addiction and despair. Isn't every life worth fighting for?

My thoughts go immediately to the excellent commercial produced on behalf
of the United Negro College Fund that exclaims, "A mind is a terrible thing
to waste." I would like to ask Columbia voters how many potentially
productive Columbia citizens they are prepared to waste.

William J. Renton Jr. is special agent in charge of the Drug
Enforcement Administration's St. Louis office.
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