Back in 1975 when I lived in California, my Assemblyman John Vasconcellos and his fellow Democrats wanted to lighten the penalties for possessing small quantities of marijuana. (The lead author of the bill was Sen. George Moscone (D- San Francisco). It failed, thank goodness, thanks to the Republicans in the Assembly. At the time we were being assured that marijuana was no worse than smoking tobacco. But do two wrongs make a right? Major drug experts like Dr. Harden B. Jones, professor of medical physics and psychology at University of California, Berkeley, ((World Magazine, June 5, 1977) and Dr. D. Harvey Powelson, chief of the psychiatry department, of Cowell Memorial Hospital at UC Berkeley, since 1964 questioned its use and legalizing it. (San Jose Mercury-News (Sept. 9, 1971) Since then many of us have personally watched what the use of marijuana has done to our young people. It seems insane to want to support, in any way, something that is so harmful.

[continues 120 words]