REPUBLICAN 'NANNY STATE'

I'm writing about David Crisp's: "Here's how Democrats can win in
November" (July 20).

It seems to me that Democrats should make a major issue of the federal
medical marijuana ban. Polls show that the vast majority of voters
favor the legalization of marijuana for medical use.

The Hinchey-Rohrabacher Bill would have prevented the Department of
Justice from using tax dollars to prosecute medical-marijuana patients
in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The bill failed because only 18 Republican from the U.S. House of
Representatives voted in favor of the bill. It seems like a major
inconsistency for so-called conservative Republicans to say that they
oppose "nanny state" policies, yet support our drug criminalization
policies.

What could be more "pro-nanny state" than our government dictating
what substances adult citizens may or may not consume - even in the
privacy of their own homes?

Today our government tells us which recreational drugs we may or may
not consume. Note that Viagra is OK, but marijuana is not. Note that
tobacco is OK, but marijuana is not.

Tomorrow our nanny-state government will tell us which foods we may or
may not eat. For our own good and protection, of course.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.