U.S. SHOULD RETHINK STANCE ON MARIJUANA

I am writing in regard to the Sept. 28 News article, "Talking tough on
pot." Our government would do well to review the conclusions of objective
studies of marijuana done by other governments that lack the U.S.
ideological commitment to the "war on drugs" approach.

For example, last March the British government's Advisory Committee on the
Misuse of Drugs reported, "The high use of cannabis is not associated with
major health problems for the individual or society."

On Sept. 4, the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs
concluded the most exhaustive and intensive examination of marijuana data
and policy ever conducted by a government body. It concluded: ". . . The
main social costs of cannabis are a result of public policy choices,
primarily its continued criminalization, while the consequences of its use
represent a small fraction of the social costs attributable to the use of
illegal drugs. . . . Clearly, current approaches are ineffective and
inefficient. Ultimately, their effect amounts to throwing taxpayers' money
down the drain in a crusade that is not warranted by the danger posed by
the substance."

I agree that use of marijuana and other drugs by youth should be
discouraged, but teen marijuana use has remained roughly level despite a
near-tripling of marijuana arrests over the last decade. Perhaps it is time
to ask if we are accomplishing anything useful by arresting more Americans
on marijuana charges than for all violent crimes combined.

Bruce Mirken. Director of Communications, Marijuana Policy Project