MARIJUANA POLICY MESSED UP

Deroy Murdock's excellent Feb. 18 column highlighted the absurdity of
federal agents raiding a California medical marijuana club on a day
Americans were asked to be on the lookout for terrorist threats.

The patients who relied on the voter-approved club to help combat nausea
and stimulate appetite are now forced to buy marijuana on the street.
Forcing sick and dying patients into the hands of organized crime is a
decidedly odd way of fighting crime.

Not only should medical marijuana be available to patients in need, but
adult recreational use should be regulated as well. The reason for this is
simple: Leaving the distribution of popular recreational drugs in the hands
of organized crime puts children at great risk. There is a big difference
between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs.

Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and
frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's
really needed is a regulated market with age controls. Right now, kids have
an easier time buying pot than beer.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets is especially critical. Marijuana
may be relatively harmless compared to alcohol -- the plant has never been
shown to cause an overdose death -- but marijuana prohibition is deadly. As
long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime,
consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like meth.

ROBERT SHARPE

Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.