TIME TO HALT THE FAILED WAR AGAINST MARIJUANA

The recent image of "victory" in the war on marijuana was too much to
take. The Aug. 16 story reported that Cook County Forest Preserve
police spent the day destroying millions of dollars of marijuana. The
only criminals arrested were seven teenage boys, ranging in age from
16 to 19, all charged with marijuana possession.

The seven teens, seemingly guilty of being at the wrong place at the
wrong time, did not have any criminal intent. The police report the
teens were looking at the leaves of one of the large plants and then
tried to hide it under a car. The teens said they didn't grow the
marijuana. Now, thanks to the social policy of marijuana prohibition,
they have a criminal record.

In the war on marijuana, their arrest is a trivial statistic, but its
consequences, from possible expulsion from school, loss of federal
student loan opportunities and the social stigma of a criminal record,
are not trivial.

But is any of this doing any good?

The 1999 National Household Survey estimates that 472,000 Illinois
residents use marijuana every month. The Illinois State Police report
that in 1999 there were 3,590 arrests per month for all marijuana
violations, to include the crimes of dealing, trafficking,
cultivation, etc. That means we arrest an individual less than 99.2
percent of the time for the crime of marijuana possession. If all
marijuana crimes were included, the failure rate would inch closer and
closer to 100 percent.

With such a high failure rate, it is irrational and irresponsible to
pursue this policy any longer. Victory in the war on marijuana is a
mirage. The war is successful less than 0.8 percent of the time. No
other social policy has failed so miserably, cost so much and harmed
so many, as marijuana prohibition. It is time to end the smoke screen
of success and look at the alternatives to the failed policy of
marijuana prohibition.

Bryan Brickner

Chair

Illinois Chapter of NORML