Re "A journey to a really far out cosmos," Names & Faces, Aug. 23: Now
we know that one of the greatest minds of our time, Carl Sagan, smoked
marijuana for "inspiring essays and insight." We also know that
tincture of marijuana was a widely used drug manufactured by
Parke-Davis until it was prohibited by federal law in the 1930s. In
their collective wisdom, informed California voters have chosen to
accept marijuana for its known medical properties. So, will someone
please explain, using statistics and generally accepted scientific
methodology, why marijuana is a dangerous substance that warrants
imprisonment?

Richard Tobias,
West Sacramento