WHAT IF YOUR DOCTOR WERE A POT SMOKER?

Dear Ann Landers: This is in response to the letter from "A Sad Mother in
Va.," whose son was arrested for marijuana possession. You said our laws on
possession are too harsh.

You sure got it wrong. Marijuana is not the benign, innocuous drug that
many believe it is. People use it to alter what's going on in the brain.
It impairs one's ability to think, to move, to remember, to drive, to study
and so on. Would it bother you if your doctor were a regular pot smoker?
Your police officer? Your teachers?

Ask people in drug treatment if drugs should be legal. They'll tell you
that if drugs were legal, they never would have been able to quit. I admit I
am biased. I've been a police officer for 22 years and have seen the damage
drugs do -- including marijuana. Please reconsider your position on this
one, Ann.

Pasadena, Calif.

Dear Pasadena: I agree that marijuana can alter one's judgment, and I do not
advocate its use. However, I see no point in harsh jail sentences for
users. They need help to get off the weed. It can be a tough battle. Read
on for more:

>From Evanston, Ill.: Thank you for your courage in taking such an unpopular
stand. I was injured in a train accident three years ago and have been in
constant pain ever since. Marijuana helps, but it is illegal. How sad that
I am a criminal just because I am struggling to survive.

Baltimore, Md.: Your comments on the legality of marijuana are right on.
Marijuana, like alcohol, should be legal, and people should be held fully
responsible for their actions while under the influence.

Boulder, Colo.: I do not understand how the government can justify spending
my tax dollars pursuing and arresting citizens for participating in an
activity that harms no one. Alcohol, which has caused so much pain,
suffering and death, is legal. Yet marijuana, which has proven medical
benefits, is not.

Akron, Ohio: I'm disappointed in you, Ann. To relax the laws on drug
possession would be a huge mistake. When I was in high school, I saw kids
unable to sit still because they were high. Many of these same students
failed classes on a regular basis. I do not want my children to grow up
thinking it's OK to smoke pot.

Corvallis, Ore.: Three days after your column on marijuana appeared, the
residence adviser in my dorm called the police, and I was arrested for
possession of pot. My stash was confiscated, and I had to go to court and
pay a small fine. The police officer who cited me was the same officer who
had pulled over a drunk friend of mine earlier that week and allowed him to
continue driving.

Roanoke, Va.: "Sad Mother" said her son was a good kid. Aren't they all?
She said he wasn't hurting anyone but himself with his drug use. What
happens when he is stoned? Is his judgment sound? I have smoked pot myself
and grew up with an alcoholic father. I know what drugs can do. This "good
kid" is a threat to society. Knowing pot smokers are driving cars scares me
to death. I have no problem paying taxes to prosecute and incarcerate people
who break the law.

Bethel, Conn.: Marijuana has not contributed to nearly as many deaths,
injuries or diseases as other perfectly legal substances such as alcohol and
tobacco. I realize your comments do not make you an advocate for pot, and
your approach sounds reasonable to me. Thank you.

Tampa, Fla.: I am certain many Americans share your view about
decriminalizing possession. It is totally senseless for our government to
make this plant illegal. Marijuana may be bad for you, but 30 years of
incarceration is insane. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.