MARIJUANA HAS FORBIDDEN FRUIT APPEAL

I'm writing about: "DARE to be empowered" (www.merrittherald.com, Oct. 30,
2002).

Common sense dictates the DARE program should deter drug use. But it
doesn't. If anything, DARE graduates are more likely to use drugs. Not less.

Common sense tell us prohibiting a product reduces the use of the product
prohibited. Actually, drug prohibition has proven to be counterproductive
and substantially increase drug usage.

Before marijuana was prohibited in the United States via the Marijuana Tax
Act of 1937, the vast majority of Americans had never even heard of marijuana.

Today everybody in the United States and Canada knows what marijuana is and
the U.S. government estimates 76 million Americans have used it. Half of
all U.S. high school students will use it before they graduate.

It is human nature for people to want what they are told they cannot have,
especially children. The "forbidden fruit" appeal is very strong.

No other nation on the planet has spent more of its resources on fighting
drug abuse nor imprisoned more of its citizens for drug law violations than
the United States. Yet no other nation has been less successful than the
United States is solving its drug abuse problems.

It's time for the U. S. and Canada to do something different. Substantially
different.

Kirk Muse, Mesa, Arizona