IT'S TIME TO RE-EVALUATE MARIJUANA PROHIBITION

While it seems that the rest of the world is waking up to the stupidity of
marijuana prohibition, the response of our leaders is to fund yet another
expensive ad campaign to try to scare parents into renewed support for the
failed war on drugs.

Meanwhile, we lose hundreds of teens each year to alcohol-related
accidents. Thousands more become addicted to nicotine, a drug our
government refuses to recognize or regulate as a drug, which leads to still
more illness and death.

How many die from marijuana use? Yet we turn our high schools into little
prisons, with random drug testing and shakedowns to turn up evidence of
marijuana use, and react to reports of alcohol or tobacco use with
comparative relief. Why are we so stupid?

Ironically, prohibition leads directly to use by children. How? By leaving
distribution and sale to criminals, who will sell to anyone with money.
Many teens will verify that marijuana is more available than alcohol for
that very reason. It's time to join the rest of the world in an honest
re-evaluation of our drug prohibition policies to see what we're really
accomplishing, as well as the damage we're doing.

Eric A. Gallion

Blasdell