Regarding "DA: Obama's comments on pot reckless" (Page B1, Tuesday), the president's comments have greatly undermined my job as a parent to teach my children to stay away from drugs. A joint as harmless as a beer? How does a parent respond now? One more vice that the president recommends his daughters "avoid." Good for him, as the federal law still stands that it is still a crime to possess, smoke or deal marijuana. Or can his children experiment with this "not such a good thing" and, if caught, have the privilege of immunity? [continues 70 words]
Public Appears Willing To Consider A Scaling Down If Not An Outright Cease-fire For the first time since Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs 30 years ago, there are signs of a broadening public willingness to scale down the attack if not go for an outright cease-fire. Drug policy is elbowing its way into the national political dialogue. Bill Clinton's admission in 1992 that he had tried marijuana a time or two but "didn't inhale" signaled a generational change in what politicians can say about drugs and survive on election day. Now we see George W. Bush playing it coy on the question of whether he did or didn't smoke, sniff or swallow something illegal in his salad days. Apparently the time is past when a surgeon general can scandalize Washington and jeopardize her job by suggesting that it might be worthwhile for the government to study the pros and cons of legalizing drugs. That's what happened to Dr. Jocelyn Elders in 1994. [continues 1609 words]
