First of a two part series Options for O - C life discussed

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Highlighting the third annual conference of the National Organization of the Reform of M arijuana Laws (NORML held here last weekend), NORML Director Keith Stroup said that existing m arijuana laws are detrim ental to both society and the individual. “ Last year in this country m ore than 420,000 persons were arrested for m arijuana offenses,” Stroup said. “The law enforcement costs to the taxpayer now ap­ proach $600 million annually. And the personal costs in term s of wrecked lives and lost careers a re impossible to calcu late .” Stroup’s speech welcoming some 250 guests a t the 3day conference here this past weekend from NORML chapters from across the country analyzed the goals of NORML. He expressed the hope that the conference would inject “ some new ideas, common sense thinking, and honesty” into the question of m arijuana laws. He cited that 13 million Americans smoke m arijuana regularly . He cited curren t enforcem ent efforts which list a rres ts for m arijuana laws as accounting for 66.9 per cent of all drug arrests. In addition, m arijuana arrests jum ped 43 per cent in 1972 over the previous year. Stroup referred to columnist Ann Landers, Attorney General William Saxbe, and National Review Editor William F. Buckley, all of whom favor liberalizing m arijuana laws. “P erhaps William F. Buckley sum m ed it up sim plest when he observed: ‘Pot is harm ful, but people shouldn’t go to jail for smoking it’,” Stroup said.