Pubdate: Tue, 14 Feb 2006
Source: Hendersonville Times-News (NC)
Copyright: 2006 Hendersonville Newspaper Corporation
Contact:  http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/793
Author: Kirk Muse
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

A BETTER WAY TO CONTROL DRUGS

To The Editor: Re: "Our drug policies are completely wrong" (T-N, Feb. 6).

I'd like to add that if tough-on-drugs policies worked, the quixotic 
goal of a drug free America would have been reached a long time ago.

And if tolerant drug policies created more drug use, the Netherlands 
would have much higher drug usage rates than the United States. They do not.

In fact, the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at much 
lower rates than Americans do. (See http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm.)

And if tolerant drug policies caused more overall crime, especially 
violent crime, the Dutch would have much higher crime rates. They do not.

The Dutch murder rate is less than one-third our per capita murder 
rate and their rate of incarceration is about one-seventh the U.S. rate.

In the Netherlands, marijuana is sold to adults without criminal 
sanctions in coffee shops. Here, marijuana is sold by criminals who 
often sell other, more dangerous drugs, and who often offer free 
samples of the more dangerous drugs to their marijuana customers -- 
thus the gateway effect.

Legalize, regulate and control the sale of marijuana and we close the gateway.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman