LEGALIZATION IS KEY TO KEEPING MARIJUANA AWAY FROM KIDS

The Nov. 26 article on drug use in the Clarke County schools hinted at the
drug war's inherent failure.

According to the article, many students find it easier to purchase
marijuana than alcohol. That's not surprising. Unlike legitimate retailers
that sell alcohol, illegal drug dealers do not ID for age. Sensible
regulation is desperately needed to undermine the youth-oriented black market.

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.

A reform of counterproductive marijuana laws would eliminate the forbidden
fruit appeal of illegal marijuana. A majority of European countries have
decriminalized pot. Draconian drug penalties in the United States support a
multi-billion dollar prison system with very little to show for it. Despite
zero tolerance, lifetime use of marijuana in the United States is higher
than any European country.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, program officer