Letter: Prohibition Does More Harm Than Good
John Chase
January 22, 2009
The Times (Trenton, NJ)
New Jersey Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, R-Monmouth, makes a good case against using medicinal marijuana based on its pros and cons (Times guest opinion, "Medical marijuana: Opening Pandora's box?" Jan. 20). When that was done against alcohol in the 1910s and early 1920s, the conclusion was Prohibition.
When we finally held a conversation about the pros and cons of Prohibition, in the early 1930s, we decided that it caused more overall societal damage than alcohol. We ended alcohol Prohibition in 1933 because of its unintended consequences, not because alcohol was safe and effective. Now we need that conversation about marijuana prohibition. |
