Spring Break
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Ed-Op
Dear Editor,
Regarding Abraham Brown's thoughtful Jan. 25 column, "America needs to rethink ineffective marijuana prohibition," 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. Like any drug, 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 immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda.
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.
Robert Sharpe, MPA
Policy Analyst
Common Sense for Drug Policy
Dear Editor,
As a retired police officer, the only thought I can add to Mr. Brown's excellent article "America needs to rethink ineffective marijuana prohibition (Jan. 25)," is how public safety would be dramatically improved. I have crunched the numbers and street officers spend about 10 million hours looking for and arresting about 750,000 each year for simple possession. My profession also spends about 10 million hours seeking and arresting 1.4 million DUIs. Imagine if we doubled our hours for DUI enforcement by spending zero time trying to prevent adults smoking pot in their own homes. Instead of having 17,000 citizens slaughtered by drunk drivers, we could nearly cut that in half.
Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired)
Education Specialist, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Washington, D.C.
Regarding Abraham Brown's thoughtful Jan. 25 column, "America needs to rethink ineffective marijuana prohibition," 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. Like any drug, 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 immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda.
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.
Robert Sharpe, MPA
Policy Analyst
Common Sense for Drug Policy
Dear Editor,
As a retired police officer, the only thought I can add to Mr. Brown's excellent article "America needs to rethink ineffective marijuana prohibition (Jan. 25)," is how public safety would be dramatically improved. I have crunched the numbers and street officers spend about 10 million hours looking for and arresting about 750,000 each year for simple possession. My profession also spends about 10 million hours seeking and arresting 1.4 million DUIs. Imagine if we doubled our hours for DUI enforcement by spending zero time trying to prevent adults smoking pot in their own homes. Instead of having 17,000 citizens slaughtered by drunk drivers, we could nearly cut that in half.
Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired)
Education Specialist, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Washington, D.C.
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