Regarding the comments of Altoona police chief John L. Gray
("Marijuana not humorous" Dec. 25), I was disappointed that your
newspaper would print such a mean-spirited, ad hominem attack.
If Gray had any evidence that someone was smoking pot, it would
be his duty to arrest that person, not call him or her names in
the newspaper.

Once again, Gray demonstrates that he will not investigate the
facts, and that he has a complete disregard for the truth.

The people of Altoona would be well-served to find a law
enforcement officer with a better sense of justice and fair play.

Regarding Chief Gray's personal attack printed under the headline
"Head shops don't help patients" (Dec. 11):

Here are more facts that Chief Gray needs to know.

While it is true that the voters in California approved a broad
medical marijuana initative in November of 1996, this only happened
because for two years in a row California's Gov. Pete Wilson
vetoed more conservative medical marijuana bills passed by the
California State Legislature. Medical marijuana activists were
left with no choice but to take the issue directly to the voters,
and they made the law as broad as it could possibly be made.

The law approved by the voters in California allows patients and
their immediate caregivers to grow and possess marijuana on the
oral or written recommendation of a doctor. Since federal law
prohibits the growing or possession of marijuana, as well as the
prescription of marijuana, the initiative only protects patients
and doctors from prosecution in state courts. The federal
government can still theoretically prosecute anyone for
possession of any amount of marijuana for any reason, although
there is a question of states' rights currently being considered
in federal court in Washington, D.C. Pearson v. McCaffrey, Case
No. 97-CV-00462 (WBB)
("http://pw2.netcom.com/~zeno7/complain1.html").

Interestingly, a federal court in San Francisco has recently
ruled that the federal government may not threaten doctors who
simply recommend (not precribe) the use of marijuana to their
patients. Conant v. McCaffrey, Case No. C97-0139 FMS
("http://www.lindesmith.org/mmjsuit/order.html").

Chief Gray is mistaken in his comments regarding the recent
article in the Dec. 8 issue of TIME magazine "Too High in
California" regarding the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club.
Just this past week, a San Francisco, California appellate court
found that the club did not fit the definition of an "immediate"
caregiver and ordered the club to shut down. Because the club
was in full operation for several years prior to the passage of
last year's medical marijuana iniative, Chief Gray's comments
about the club being the result of the initiative are highly misleading.

I'm certainly delighted to know that Chief Gray has not violated
Iowa's medical marijuana law by arresting doctors for
recommending marijuana to their patients, as this would place him
in violate of both state and federal law. However, he would do
well to stop referring to Iowa's medical marijuana law as some
scheme to sell crack cocaine to kids in candy stores. Such
tactics are worthy only of a runaway police state.

As for clearing the air in my room, I submit that the air in my
room is cleaner than the hot air Chief Gray is blowing from his
bully pulpit as chief of Altoona's police department.

Carl E. Olsen
Des Moines, IA