Pubdate: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 Source: DrugSense Weekly (DSW) Website: http://www.drugsense.org LETTER OF THE WEEK RIDDLED WITH MISINFORMATION By Loretta Nall This is in response to The News article "Busted indoor pot farm" (Oct. 11), which was riddled with marijuana misinformation. Authorities said growing marijuana hydroponically makes it more potent. Hydroponics is simply a growing method. It in no way increases the potency of marijuana or any other plant. Breeding and genetics can increase potency and quality, but the growing method itself has no bearing on the potency of the final product. Authorities also claimed hydroponic marijuana is responsible for organized crime, home invasions, armed robberies, arsons and homicides. So, the growing method is responsible for all that? Now, I have heard it all. Why not throw child molestation and wife beating in there, too? Doing so couldn't possibly make that statement any less believable. Prohibition is the reason for the majority of crime around any illicit substance. If you support prohibition, you support crime. You support the drug dealers. Refusing to control and regulate the drug market enables all of this crime. If Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale wants to talk about gateway theories, prohibition is the gateway to crime. Hale said of the operation, "It would be impressive if it was a legitimate business." So, why not legitimize it and collect taxes to build the dome, pay off the sewer debt and use police resources to go after all those murderers in the Birmingham area? Why not grow marijuana for those suffering from cancer, HIV/AIDS, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and a whole host of other painful conditions that marijuana is good medicine for? Loretta Nall Executive director Alabamians for Compassionate Care Alexander City Pubdate: Sun, 19 Oct 2008 Source: Birmingham News, The (AL) Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n000/a100.html - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake