I was glad for Robyn Blumner's "We've lost the war on drugs; it's time for something new" (Opinion, Feb. 17). Living in a conservative environment like Utah, dialogue about the realities of drug use is rarely heard. I'm in high school, and every day I see that drug use is common. There is no way of avoiding that fact.

Our government has been continuing its war on drugs for decades with no "success." Illegal drug use has done nothing but increase, despite all the anti-drug propaganda that our tax dollars pay for.

Across the country, more high school students now smoke marijuana than tobacco.

I hope that in my lifetime the government will realize that people will keep smoking pot even if it's illegal and decriminalize or even legalize it.

Last year, almost a million people were arrested for marijuana possession, but as Blumner says, that isn't because there are a million criminals on our streets. Personal use of marijuana shouldn't be a crime because it isn't a danger to society.

It is time the public grasps that.

Adrienne Murphy

Salt Lake City