Lothar121

Legalize Marijuana and Decriminalize Good People
Robert Sharpe | The Free Lance-Star | 04/10/06

The financial incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws create a dangerous precedent ["Seized assets do pay off," March 26]. Police can confiscate cars, cash, and homes without bothering to charge owners with a crime.

Vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning what should be protectors of the peace into financial predators.

The Drug War threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties, while failing miserably at preventing drug use.

A majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than in any European country.

The U.S. now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large part due to the war on some drugs.

It's not possible to wage a moralistic war against consensual vices unless privacy is completely eliminated, along with the Constitution.

America can be a free country or a "drug-free" country, but not both.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington

The writer is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy.

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