TWO VIEWS ON 'THREE STRIKES'

Marijuana prohibition

Re "Report: Pot does aid some," March 18: Rep. Bill McCollum points out
that THC is already available in a pill called Marinol. Of course, he doesn't
point out that Marinol is expensive.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer should "try to effectuate the people's
will," as he says. He should intercede in the Kubby case. Also,
Lockyer could tell McCollum that according to the people's will and
Proposition 215, marijuana patients have the right to grow their
medicine for free.

Alcohol Prohibition was ended in part because it was noted that
alcohol has medicinal as well as industrial uses -- as does
hemp/marijuana. And citizens are tired of the drive-by shootings and
gang-related violence the war on alcohol caused. Right now, I'm
tired of all the prisons.

Janice Bonser
Carmichael

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