PUNA BUTTER I

To say that there is a "shortage" of marijuana due to eradication efforts
is misleading. (Honolulu Diary, "Ice vs. pot," HW, 7/31). It would be more
accurate to say that pot is difficult to access in Hawai'i. While there is
pot available for those who choose to seek it out and pay for it, its
inflated price leads drug users to seek cheaper, more accessible drugs such
as methamphetamine.

During Prohibition in the early part of the last century, there was no
"shortage" of safe, smuggled foreign liquor, primarily from Canada.
However, the illegality of such booze made it prohibitively expensive,
leading most drinkers to guzzle homemade moonshine and whiskey, which could
cause blindness and, in some cases, death.

If you've got the money, you can get whatever drugs you want. However,
marijuana prohibition and the price inflation it causes lead most people to
seek cheaper highs, which often are more damaging to the individual and to
society than marijuana use.

Spike Bradford