END 'WAR' ON MARIJUANA; REGULATE IT LIKE ALCOHOL

Judge Barry Cohen has done a service by pointing out the
disproportionate effect of the so-called "war on drugs" on African-
Americans, and questioning its emphasis on marijuana, "Judge
questions police methods, effectiveness of drug war" (May 4).
African- Americans use marijuana at the same rate as whites, but
blacks are 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana
possession and 13 times more likely to be imprisoned on drug charges.

As for marijuana, a recent study based on government data found
marijuana to be America's top cash crop, exceeding corn and wheat
combined, and recent federal surveys indicate that nearly 100 million
Americans have tried it. Instead of filling our jails in pursuit of
the fantasy of "marijuana eradication," it's time to regulate
marijuana just as we do alcohol.

BRUCE MIRKEN

San Francisco