Pubdate: Tue, 08 Apr 2003
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2003 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.oklahoman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author: Larry Brittain
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

BETTER WAY TO PROTECT OUR YOUTH

TO THE EDITOR: An advertisement published in The Oklahoman on March 31 by 
the Office of National Drug Control Policy and titled "An Open Letter to 
Parents" quoted prominent organizations speaking of the dangers and 
drawbacks of marijuana use. I agree with everyone of these quotes, although 
I suspect a few used questionable statistical methods to arrive at their 
figures. I also agree that parents are "the anti-drug" and that marijuana 
use has many dangers and should be discouraged. However, the ad leaves out 
an important fact. Because of marijuana's illegal status, it's much more 
available to teens and children than even 3.2 beer. If marijuana were a 
regulated substance like alcohol, it would be easier to control our 
children's access to it.

As a black market substance, it easily permeates our schools. What the 
National Drug Control Policy Office wants kept secret from you is that 
there's a better way to protect our youth. If protection is their goal, why 
do they perpetuate a 50-plus-year-old "War on Drugs" that has coincided 
with a dramatic increase of drug use in our society and especially among 
our youth?

Billions of dollars and millions of lives lost or ruined have taken us 
further from the intended goal of zero drug use. It's time to rethink this 
issue.

Larry Brittain, Guthrie
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