PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK

The article "Medical marijuana debated in court" (Register-Guard, Aug. 5)
was an eye-opener. The statement by U.S. Justice Department lawyer Joseph
Lobue, "It doesn't matter what California says," was appalling and sure got
my attention.

What part of our system is Lobue and the rest of the minions of prohibition
not understanding? And how long are we, the voting citizens of this nation,
going to allow the government to manipulate and deny our changes to law
enacted through the ballot?

The prohibition of pot, or any other illegal drug, suffers the same fatal
flaw as any prohibition of goods. The market becomes truly free from
government control. There are no taxes collected on prohibited goods sold at
any level of the market. Corruption at all levels of law enforcement is
eventual. And violence is inevitable.

Now, not only are the feds telling voters our ballots don't matter, but they
are telling doctors that they don't know enough to practice medicine without
first consulting the courts. This conviction on their part seems to be
pathological and potentially deadly.

The recent death of Peter McWilliams must be seen as their creation. His
death and the deaths of five U. S. soldiers killed in an air crash while on
drug interdiction duty in Colombia in July 1999 are the fault of prohibition
and its rabid supporters.

PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK. AND THE PROHIBITION OF POT IS BASED ON BAD OR no
science and has been perpetuated by 70 years of racist propaganda and lies.

The time has come for critical, open debate. Our system can no longer afford
to sacrifice our liberties to a band of thugs for imaginary safety from a
made-up boogeyman.