PUNISHING POT USE IS A WASTE OF TIME, RESOURCES

Regarding the Sun's July 23 story, "State at front line in pot debate":

It's interesting how the same federal government that's seeking to turn
Nevada into the country's nuclear waste dump suddenly cares about state
residents when it comes to the war on some drugs. As November draws nearer
Nevadans can expect to hear all sorts of outrageous government claims about
the state's marijuana ballot initiative. Federal bureaucrats, like drug
czar John Walters, will no doubt earn quite a few frequent flier miles at
the taxpayers' expense. Keep in mind that these are the people who claim
trucking radioactive waste along state highways poses no serious risk. The
fact is there is no evidence that punitive marijuana laws do anything other
than burden otherwise law-abiding citizens with criminal records. Based on
findings that jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and
ineffective as deterrents, a majority of European Union countries have
decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and perhaps because
of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S.
than any European country. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown
to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of
tobacco. The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential
compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. Unfortunately,
marijuana represents the counterculture to misguided reactionaries in
Congress intent on legislating their version of morality. This country
cannot afford to continue subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors.

ROBERT SHARPE