PROHIBITION OF MARIJUANA IS THE REAL DANGER

Dear Editor,

The hazardous marijuana grow operations mentioned in your Dec. 6th article
are a direct result of marijuana prohibition, not the plant itself.

Legitimate farmers do not grow produce in the basements of rented homes.
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 enforceable age controls. Right
now kids have an easier time buying pot than beer. More disturbing is the
manner in which marijuana's black market status exposes users to sellers of
hard drugs. Marijuana may be relatively harmless compared to legal 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 cocaine. Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular
illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to the failed drug war. Given
the local expertise in this area, the tax windfall for B.C. would be
tremendous.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A. Program Officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy
Foundation, Washington, DC