Pubdate: Fri, 19 Nov, 1999
Source: Austin Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 1999 Austin Chronicle Corp.
Contact:  http://www.auschron.com/
Author: David Ort

LEGALIZE IT

Editor:

I am outraged! Alexander Windle, a 25-year-old man with a two-year-old son, 
who was awakened by a loud beating on the front door of his home at 5am, 
was shot to death by Wimberley's police force. His crime was that he had 
sold or given away almost an ounce of marijuana.

"Marijuana," for those who don't know, is a plant. God invented it.

And he invented a pretty good thing, there, when he did. It is the ultimate 
renewable resource. It is an annual that grows quickly, and abundantly, and 
widely. It can be processed into durable fabrics, into inexpensive paper, 
and into industrial-quality oils; even medicines. Some varieties, when 
smoked, also make people feel a bit lightheaded and silly.

The growing and possession of marijuana, or "hemp" as George Washington 
used to call it when he grew it at Mount Vernon, has been illegal since 
1935 or so, when a low level government employee got scared about black 
jazz musicians smoking the stuff, and led an ignorance-based fear campaign 
to it's culmination: Prohibition, Part II.

We can argue about legalizing the other drugs later on. For now, legalize 
marijuana! Say it with me: Legalize marijuana!

A non-smoker,
David Ort

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