I am so sick of slogans and lies. When one's agenda has no basis in truth,
the lies and slogans must always have lots of sting.

A new lie on the marijuana front: "Today's marijuana is deadly!" A new
slogan: "Save our kids!" These have come out in response to voters in
California and Arizona restoring marijuana as medicine. Of course, the drug
czar and his legion's call those voters suckers and vow to block the will
of the people.

I have known many criminals over the years - moral, intelligent, successful
people who happen to use marijuana sometimes. Many of them are
professionals. I have seen marijuana prolong the lives of AIDS sufferers.
In 1938, a government expert on marijuana testified at a trial in which two
women got away with murder by using a marijuana insanity defense. The
expert admitted trying marijuana once, saying, "After two puffs on a
marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat." Then he testified that he
flew around the room for 15 minutes, landing at last at the bottom of a
20-foot-high inkwell. The next day, Oct. 12,1938, the headlines of the
Newark Star Ledger read, "Killer drug turns doctor to bat!"

Outrageous lies and slogans make any rational discourse on the marijuana
issue impossible. This is exactly what the monied special interests
steering our government want.

A distinction must be made between truly dangerous drugs and marijuana.
Otherwise, more and more of,our rights will be stripped from us.

Mary Toulouse
Spokane