News

MEXICO CITY - A comprehensive report on drug policy in the Americas released Friday by a consortium of nations suggests that the legalization of marijuana, but not other illicit drugs, be considered among a range of ideas to reassess how the drug war is carried out.

Attorney General Calls Marijuana a "Gateway Drug." HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane told a gathering of newspaper editors Friday that she opposes legislation to legalize marijuana because users often move on to harder drugs.

Legal marijuana's sensational evolution is helping crack open a previously closed door: money to start and grow cannabis businesses.

War on Drugs Organization of American States Urges New Strategy BOGOTA, Colombia - The Organization of American States (OAS) said Friday that countries should consider decriminalizing drug use, a shift backed by several current and former Latin American leaders but opposed by the United States.

Opinions

The Benefits Are Clear; a Ban on Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes Cannot Be Supported MEDICINAL use of cannabis should be permitted in Australia.

Dear Stoner: With the recent passing of the five-nanogram driving limit for THC, I'm worried that even while sober, as a regular smoker I'll technically be over the limit. Should I sell my car and resign myself to public transportation?

Last week Colorado became the first U.S. state to adopt a set of rules that allows marijuana to be regulated like alcohol for adults. Legislators, task force members and all involved are to be congratulated for doing it in accordance with Amendment 64's spirit and under its tight, six-month deadline.

"The only justification is always in terms of the existence of innocent victims. In the case of drugs, the major effect of drug prohibition is to multiply the number of innocent victims, not to reduce it." - Milton Friedman, 1991

Letters

Thanks for publishing Edward R. Arnold's thoughtful letter: "Marijuana is safer than tobacco or alcohol" (May 12).

Health care professionals report America is suffering an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. What if a widely used substance could prevent and maybe "cure" diabetes? There is, and cannabis is that substance.

To the Editor: The legalization of marijuana is a huge issue. It should be legalized for many reasons.

I have a story that might, these days, evoke a small bubble of annoyance, a tiny percussion of pique at the callousness of public officials.

Peter Bensinger's latest letter in the Sun Times echoes the usual fear mongering that opponents to medical cannabis have been saying for years: Our kids, streets and society will suffer if we allow sick people to have legal access to a plant. He and those who share his views never talk about how other countries such as Canada and Israel have medical cannabis and kids, streets and the social fabric in those countries don't seem negatively impacted by it. They also never mention that the FDA approves pills that are often recalled and according to the Centers for Disease Control are the leading cause of overdose deaths in America. Nobody is dying from overdoses from cannabis, yet FDA-approved drugs are killing people everyday, and those drugs are found in medicine cabinets that kids have easy access to.

I'm pleased to see at last a broad opening up of the discussion of our country's failed "war on drugs." I recently attended a conference in Buffalo, titled "Leading the Way: Toward a Public Health & Safety Approach to Drug Policy in New York." Presented by the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy at the University at Buffalo and the Drug Policy Alliance, it began by viewing and discussing the award-winning documentary: "The House I Live In," which chronicled the ravages to the lives of people and communities ground up by our current policies toward illicit drugs.

I was intrigued by a recent article about the Mexican drug cartels moving into the United States, but this is no surprise, because the country has decided to allow the illegal drug trade to continue. Millions of people are employed and billions of dollars spent on law enforcement, legal work and imprisonment only because we prefer prohibition rather than legalization of many drugs.