Pubdate: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 Source: Journal Times, The (Racine, WI) Copyright: 2006 The Journal Times Contact: http://www.journaltimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1659 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n517/a01.html Author: Robert Sharpe AMERICA'S REEFER MADNESS If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. The reefer madness myths have long been discredited, forcing the drug war gravy train to spend millions of tax dollars on politicized research, trying to find harm in a relatively harmless plant. Meanwhile, research that might demonstrate the medical efficacy of marijuana has been consistently blocked by the FDA. By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California, the very same U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism. The following Virginia Law Review article offers a good overview of the cultural roots of marijuana legislation: http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlrtoc.htm For additional historical background please see the Canadian Senate report: http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.pdf Robert Sharpe, MPA, Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy http://www.csdp.org Washington, DC - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake