REEFER MADNESS? OR SANITY?

Re: Decades After Woodstock, The Pot Debate Still Rages, letter to
the editor, May 27.

In responding to the Post's recent editorial supporting the
decriminalization of marijuana, letter-writers Akbar Hussain and
Barry Lubotta make excellent arguments. John Stuart Mill made a much
stronger one, however, in On Liberty: "That the only purpose for
which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a
civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.
His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant."

Although one could question the dubious link between immorality and
an individual's decision to use certain substances, I believe Mill
was explaining precisely how irrelevant that kind of discussion
should be in a just society where laws are based on essential legal
rights, not opinions or the morals of influential crowds.

Sandy Gibson, Toronto.