Pubdate: Tue, 11 Apr 2000
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2000 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Author: Vanessa Peters

POT IS A RECREATION FOR MANY

Where to start? Ten years ago I was about columnist Tess Forbush's age 
("Smoking pot is a choice, one with consequences," April 5) and would no 
doubt have written an article much like the one she wrote. Her ability to 
still see things with black-and-white clarity certainly reminds me of a 
naivete I miss. I know it's practically pointless to tell a very young 
person anything about what the future might hold for them, but I'll give it 
a go.

Some people have found on this particular issue that you can't trust all 
statistics and stories. Check your sources. Do they have anything 
(money/funding) to gain? Tess has no idea yet how many well-respected 
members of any given community actually use marijuana for recreation. There 
are smokers in law enforcement and smokers presiding over courts. There are 
smokers in the law-making bodies that keep it illegal. It's a hypocritical 
system that puts nonviolent pot smokers in prison where many horrible 
things can happen to them.

Unless things have changed recently, I know the people of California voted 
to legalize medicinal marijuana use. I think Maine did too. There are also 
two governors who want to legalize all drugs (New Mexico and Minnesota). I 
could pick apart the article's "faulty logic," but this letter already 
looks too long.

Vanessa Peters, Fort Richardson
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D