WANT TO STOP MARIJUANA TRAFFIC? LEGALIZE POT!

I write in response to the front-page article by Leo W. Banks in a
recent issue of the Tucson Weekly that expresses concern that
declaring the Tumacacori Highlands as a national wilderness area will
lead to more marijuana traffic.

Stopping marijuana traffic is not done by targeting the environment.
Remove the criminal penalties on its sale and use, and the traffic
will stop. It is not right in a democratic society to make it a crime
if adults use marijuana by their own free choice.

The 1964 Wilderness Act recognizes "an area where the earth and its
community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a
visitor who does not remain. An area ... retaining its primeval
character and influence, without permanent improvements or human
habitation." In the past few months, I have been out twice with a
photographer friend hiking in the remote areas of the Tumacacori
Highlands and taking pictures until the sun disappeared behind the
hills. It is a very peaceful and privileged experience.

I suspect the concerns expressed in this article have some other
purpose. Your readers should celebrate the strong support for this
wilderness designation. The Tumacacori Highlands is one of the last
unspoiled regions of Southern Arizona, and we ought to keep it that
way.

Richard A. Calabro