I’m responding to Norm Jackson’s not-so-thoughtful op-ed, “Legalizing marijuana makes no sense” (June 17). In the Netherlands, where marijuana has been quasi legal for several decades, the Dutch use marijuana at less than half the rate Americans do. And they use heroin at less than a third the rate Americans do (see drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm).
I submit it makes no sense, economic or moral, to jail or imprison marijuana users or sellers. We don’t jail or imprison those who produce, sell or use tobacco products, even though tobacco is a highly addictive and very deadly product. We don’t have criminals growing tobacco in clandestine locations. We don’t have tobacco producers or sellers attempting to settle their disputes with each other with gun battles in the streets. If we were to criminalize tobacco, the situation would change.
This article appears in Jun 24 – Jul 1, 2010.