By the "Drug Problem", do they mean the proliferation in our communities of all illicit, mood-altering, physically dangerous drugs? Or do they really mean the accompanying problems bought on by these proscribed substances: crime and the threat of crime, violence, disease, the growing number of users on public welfare, the loss of productivity to the country's industry, the congestion of the court system, the over-crowding of our penal institutions, the diversion of our tax dollars from more productive areas, the corruption of our law enforcement agencies, and directly and indirectly the erosion of our civil rights?

Since I am confining this paper to discussing the laws prohibiting marijuana use, I will concede that it fits the first two categories above; i.e. it is by law, illicit, and by its nature, mood-altering. With the third category we enter upon shaky ground. There is no scientific proof

Since the Shafer Commission's report in 1972, ten million people have been arrested for marijuana offenses in the United States. Federal law enforcement officials-from the DEA, the FBI, The U.S. Customs, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service---focus mainly on growers, distributors, and large-scale sellers. For example, in 1994, about two-thirds of the marijuana offenders sentenced in federal court possessed two hundred pounds or more of marijuana. These federal marijuana arrests account for only a fraction of marijuana arrests in the U.S. less than 5%. At the state and local level, where most marijuana arrests occur, the vast majority are for simple possession, not cultivation, trafficking or sale. An all-time high was reached in 1995, when state and local police officers arrested nearly 589,000 people for marijuana offences almost 86%- were arrested for possessing marijuana. Because of plea-bargaining, some people convicted of marijuana possession may be marijuana sellers. However, most people arrested for possessing marijuana are users, who possess small amount for personal use. (Zimmer & Morgan 1997:38-40)

Over time, there has been no consistent relationship between the use patterns of various drugs.

Brecher, Edward M. and the Editors of Consumer Reports Licit and Illicit Drugs 1st ed. Mount Vernon, New York: Consumers Union, 1972

The Myth: Dutch law, which allows marijuana to be bought, sold, and used openly, has resulted in increasing rates of marijuana use, particularly among youth.

Once the stigma of criminalization is removed, the relatively few users who develop abuse or dependence problems could come forward and get help. Taking the marijuana market out of criminal hands would ensure purity, quality controls, and the like. It would also eliminate the possibility that the dealer, motivated by greed, would entice the marijuana user to try harder, more dangerous (and more profitable) drugs.

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Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page double spaced)