FLORIDA 'ICE' AGE

Re: Sen. Burt L. Saunders' Nov. 23 op-ed piece. Drug policies modeled
after prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market.
Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors
immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Limiting the
supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase
the trafficking profitability. For addictive drugs like meth, a spike
in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal
activity. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative. As long as marijuana distribution remains
in the hands of organized crime, consumers will continue to come into
contact with sellers of hard drugs like meth. This "gateway" is the
direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol -- the
plant has never been shown to cause an overdose death -- it makes no
sense to waste tax dollars on failed policies that finance organized
crime and facilitate the use of hard drugs. Drug policy reform may
send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children
are more important than the message.

ROBERT SHARPE

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC