Re: "Decriminalizing pot won't solve problems," Sept. 28.
So let me get this straight: The author of this letter believes that we should keep marijuana illegal to help criminals stay busy with their illegal activities, otherwise they'll be forced to move onto bigger ones, and we'll see a "sharp rise in human misery"?
This writer incorrectly claims that the European countries that have legalized pot have found the exercise to be a large failure.
First, no European country has legalized the possession of marijuana; at best, a few have decriminalized it. Second, there is plenty of evidence to support the claim that decriminalization of marijuana possession provides benefits to those countries.
In the past few years, for example, the Netherlands has had to close down prisons due to a plummeting crime rate.
According to a 2009 report from the Cato Institute: "Since Portugal enacted its decriminalization scheme in 2001, drug usage in many categories has actually decreased when measured in absolute terms, whereas usage in other categories has increased only slightly or mildly."
But hey, let's keep marijuana illegal. Somebody has to keep the criminals busy.
Ian Skinner
Victoria
