EDUCATOR'S ARREST SHOWS NEED TO DECRIMINALIZE DRUG

The recent felony arrest for a Twin Falls educator for marijuana possession
makes a strong argument for decriminalizing marijuana in the United States.

What has the state accomplished by destroying the career of a productive
member of the community? How was anyone harmed by this person's behavior?
When will we acknowledge the hypocrisy of tolerating alcohol, with its
immense social, economic and legal cost, and penalizing marijuana, which is
almost benign by comparison?

The fact is that far more harm is done by the marijuana laws than by the
drug itself: In the last 10 years, 5 million Americans have been arrested
for marijuana violations and 60,000 are currently incarcerated. The annual
cost to society of enforcing our marijuana laws is estimated to be $10
billion, and the diversion of law enforcement resources to prosecute a
victimless crime is utterly wasteful.

Studies reveal that 80 million Americans have tried marijuana; it is
unconscionable to continue to punish people for a crime that 35 percent of
adults in our country have committed. It's been 30 years since a commission
appointed by President Nixon recommended that the personal use of marijuana
be removed from the criminal justice system; it is high time that our
lawmakers joined the legislatures of 12 other states in abolishing our
unjust and unnecessary marijuana laws.

ANDREW J. CRANE; Twin Falls