From Robert Sharpe, The Lindesmith Center Drug Policy Foundation
You’re absolutely right. Even if every myth about cannabis causing “reefer
madness” were true, the harm caused by the drug would not justify sending users
to prison
(3 November, p 3 and
p 12).
The zero tolerance approach both victimises users and harms society at large.
Prisons transmit violent habits and values rather than reduce them. Most
non-violent drug offenders are eventually released with dismal job prospects due
to their criminal records. Turning cannabis smokers into hardened criminals is a
senseless waste of tax dollars.
Hopefully the common sense coming out of Britain will rub off on the US. More
Americans were arrested for cannabis in 2000 than all violent crimes combined.
For a drug that has never been shown to cause an overdose death, the amount of
resources used to enforce cannabis prohibition is outrageous. The effectiveness
of zero tolerance is dubious at best—despite harsh penalties, the US has
higher rates of cannabis use than any European country.
Sooner or later Britain is going to have to take the next logical step.
Decriminalisation acknowledges the social reality of cannabis use and frees
users from the stigma of criminal records. What’s really needed is a regulated
market with enforceable age controls. Separating the hard and soft drugs markets
is critical. As long as cannabis distribution remains in the hands of organised
crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs.
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