It appears that our approach to the drug problem, or so-called "drug war," is a failure and should be abandoned immediately. Instead of filling our prisons with nonviolent criminals who have transgressed the law with marijuana, we should promptly decriminalize or legalize marijuana! In so doing it is estimated that we will empty half of our prisons!

Instead of punishing people who have sold or used marijuana we should consider them as sick people suffering from marijuana addiction. By considering them ill they can be treated properly instead of being sent to prison.

For many people marijuana is a mild stimulant affording one the feeling of relaxation and pleasure and it does not necessarily lead to hard-core addiction as many people have insisted. Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that it is helpful in the treatment of glaucoma, the treatment of AIDS, and in minimizing the ill effects of cancer chemotherapy. Many people believe that smoking a joint is the equivalent of a cocktail, no more or less!

Prohibition was passed to deny the people the use of alcohol, and it was a dreadful failure. There was bootlegging, and the Mafia became involved. By legalizing the sale of alcohol, standardizing its dosage in terms of "proof," and taxing the product, the illegal black market was brought to an end. Of course, there are always people who will abuse anything and they became a separate problem onto themselves. But by making alcohol available legitimately, the related crime was eliminated.

Many distinguished personalities are in favor of legalizing marijuana and among these are the former Secretary of State George Shultz and the former Mayor of Baltimore Mr. Snoke. It was their feeling,, as well as that of many others, that a standard dose of marijuana should be set, the product should be taxed, and, if necessary, it should be made available only by a physician's prescription.

One organization exists today called or Marijuana Policy Program and they publish a report called "marijuana policy reform." It is available on the internet at http://www.mpp.org.