BAD JOURNALISM TO BLAME

Kudos to Ray Hartmann's brilliant opinion piece "The Media Go to Pot" [RFT,
May 16]. There is no shorter explanation for the irrational longevity of
marijuana prohibition than "bad journalism."

Many major media outlets have long since forsaken their social contract to
report news both fairly and honestly when it comes to marijuana-related
issues. Progressive developments which counter orthodox drug-war ideology
are ignored, ridiculed or reported selectively, or with a condescending
editorial bias front and center. Puns and cliches like "pipe dream," "high
hopes" and "up in smoke" are commonly built into headlines to condition the
reader to not take the issue too seriously -- after all, it's only
"medical" marijuana.

An American citizen is arrested every 46 seconds for marijuana -- 13
million since 1970. Marijuana prohibition, the backbone of the drug war, is
one of the great frauds of the past 70 years. If journalists and editors
confronted the hypocrisy that sustains this policy with even a shred of
courage, there is simply no way it could stand the light of day.

Another little detail that the media missed when reporting the Supreme
Court decision is that Clarence Thomas, who wrote the brutal opinion of the
court, is the one justice who admits having smoked marijuana, when he was
at Yale Law School.

Kevin Nelson
Bow, Wash.