LAWS AGAINST MARIJUANA SHOULD NOT GO UP IN SMOKE

Unfortunately, the lenient approach to marijuana possession in Britain is
just one of many events that openly contradict the "war on drugs" which so
many countries - the US and Great Britain included - have waged ("Europe's
antidrug bastion reconsiders," Aug. 30). I believe governments that try to
legalize marijuana or classify it as a "soft drug" will eventually realize
that neither tactic will aid in the fight against supposed "hard drugs"
such as heroin and cocaine. Marijuana is illegal for a reason: It is a
gateway drug that leads users down a path to more-serious substance abuse.

Political leaders cannot change the rules of the game halfway in. If
marijuana were accepted today, it would hinder our chances of fighting more
dangerous drugs and reduce the slender headway we have gained. Accepting
one drug while outlawing others would be the equivalent of prohibiting the
consumption of hard liquor while allowing beer and wine.

Ashley R. Smith, Gainesville, Fla.