KEEP OFF THE GRASS

Kelly Abraham
Age 29 Resides Manhattan
Occupation At-home mother

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? Yes.
I was just talking about this with my six-year-old son. Even though I don't
want him to smoke pot, I do think it has real medicinal uses.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? No. Someone who uses harder
drugs has a propensity for checking out anyway. Having said that, I do
think marijuana can be addictive.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? Strip clubs and prostitution. If I want
to buy sex, why shouldn't I? Marijuana should be legal. What's legal and
what's decent are very confused here. Nude Greek statues were once
considered indecent. Now they're classical works of art.

Yuko Hieda
Age 28 Resides Brooklyn
Occupation Flower arranger

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? If I
were that sick, I'd choose a natural treatment like that. I'd do anything
to avoid being in pain, regardless of whether the medicine were legal or not.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? No. It's totally unrelated to
the other drugs.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? I don't know about pot, because some
people can handle it and some can't. I'm afraid that many feminists would
be angry if I said I thought prostitution should be legal, but a system of
protection would be good for both the client and the worker.

Jorge Navarro
Age 36 Resides Brooklyn
Occupation Teaching artist

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? Yes,
absolutely. If I had kids, I'd say, "I'm terminally ill, and I'm going to
break the law to help myself." We should act like a nation of Thomas
Paines. We're descendants of dissenters.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? No. It's false science.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? Marijuana should be legalized and taxed.
It's the world's biggest cash crop. The government could control a bunch of
dumb stoners a lot better than it could a gang of drunks.

Gezim
Age 21 Resides Brooklyn
Occupation Disc jockey

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? Yes,
because people say it's an effective treatment. If your grandmother was
suffering from cataracts, you could offer her a hash pipe and it would help.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? Yes. I know people who
stopped getting a high from marijuana and so turned to other, harder drugs.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? I want to know why alcohol is legal.
People get drunk and get in the car and run other people over. To people
who say prostitution should be legal, I say, "Get a girlfriend. Get a
boyfriend."

Colleen Kesterson
Age 21 Resides Westchester
Occupation Costume designer

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? Yes,
I think I would.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? Maybe in the case of kids who
start smoking it at 13 or 14, but I doubt that someone suffering from
end-stage cancer is going to turn to heroin as a result of smoking
marijuana medicinally.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? I don't personally do drugs, but I don't
think pot is anywhere near as bad as coke or heroin. I think it leads to a
desire to eat a lot and listen to bad records.

John O
Age 27 Resides Manhattan
Occupation Musician

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? Yes,
if I knew it was going to alleviate my pain.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? No, that's just a mental game
designed to scare people. People who go on to harder things are going anyway.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? Spitting. And drinking in public.

Marvin Tucker
Age 32 Resides Manhattan
Occupation Merchandiser

If you were seriously ill, would you buy pot even though it's illegal? No.
If it's illegal, it's illegal. Having said that, they should find a medical
alternative for people who are sick.

Do you think marijuana leads to harder drugs? Yes, like all drugs it's
addictive.

What's illegal that shouldn't be? I would say illegal immigration. If
you've managed to get here, you should be able to stay without worrying
that you're going to be sent back.