JAIL NOT THE SOLUTION FOR DRUG PROBLEM

In her Backtalk column of July 26, public health nurse Darlene Hanke points
out some of the dangers of smoking marijuana. Regardless of whether or not
they are overstated, Ms. Hanke is missing the point.

Whether or not marijuana is harmful, is arrest and incarceration really a
positive and productive solution? Does arresting hundreds of thousands of
people every year for marijuana crimes really help keep us safe? Does jail
time for marijuana users really help them become better citizens? Do we
really want to spend millions of dollars a year to arrest and jail people
for smoking marijuana?

The answer to all of these is, of course, no. There are much better ways of
dealing with the drug problem in this country than prohibition.

Ari Elias-Bachrach, St. Louis, Mo.