Pubdate: Sat, 08 Mar 2014
Source: Morning Sun (Mt. Pleasant, MI)
Copyright: 2014 Morning Sun
Contact:   http://www.themorningsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3938
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n224/a06.html

DOCTOR GOT MARIJUANA RIGHT

Regarding Dr. Robert Townsend's thoughtful Mar. 4 op-ed, the days 
when drug warriors can get away with confusing the drug war's 
tremendous collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant are 
coming to an end. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to 
subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a grand success.

The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money 
grows on little trees. If the goal is to deter use, marijuana 
prohibition is a catastrophic failure. The United States has almost 
double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands where marijuana 
is legal. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to 
martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a 
failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health 
campaign. Not just in Colorado and Washington but throughout the 
nation, it's time to stop the pointless arrests and instead tax legal 
marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom