Pubdate: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/TorontoSun/home.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457 Author: Dennis J. Csatari Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk MARIJUANA LAWS ARE AN UTTER FAILURE Letter Of The Day RE "DOPE dream smoked - Court upholds pot possession law" (Dec. 24): How utterly moronic. Reading the horror stories surrounding the acquisition, possession and use of marijuana, you would think these folks never realized that Reefer Madness (the movie) is now nothing more than a source of amusement. Is pot really more harmful than alcohol - a government approved mind-altering substance? How many tokers turn into obnoxious thugs, after a doobie or two? As a recreational user of pot for the past 40 years, I have never felt the need to experiment with heroin or cocaine or to "chase the dragon." Thus, for me, marijuana is not a "gateway drug." For those for whom pot is a chasm to moral decline, well, deal with those people much the same way we now deal with degenerate drunks, gamblers, overeaters, etc. I truly wish the people making decisions, on any topic, would have, at least a nodding acquaintance with the issue. If you have never smoked pot, you don't know what you're talking about! To maintain the legal sanctions on the possession and use of marijuana will not alter the fact a large proportion of the population have disregarded past and present sanctions. The laws on marijuana have proven to be an utter failure, yet we must continue on this path. What else would one expect from a government, that also embraces the national gun registry? Dennis J. Csatari Hamilton (Despite this latest court ruling, the laws on marijuana possession will change. Wish we were that sure about the gun registry) - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom