Re "Science belies the political puffing against marijuana," Op- Ed,
March 24: After undergoing abdominal surgery several years ago, I was
given morphine for postoperative pain during my one-night stay in the
hospital. I began to understand how one might become dependent on
such a strong opiate. But to classify morphine as a Schedule II drug
while marijuana is considered by policy to be a Schedule I defies
logic.

The real issue here is not the danger of marijuana, but the fear of
the policy-makers that, in the wake of decades of warnings regarding
the use of illicit drugs, they would lose credibility to concur that
marijuana might have value. They've already lost credibility with
many voters who know that the risks of marijuana don't even come
close to the dangers associated with hard drug use.

We've already approved the medical use of marijuana, and our
government needs to reflect the desires of the people.

Heather Mackintosh
Elk Grove