Source: International Herald Tribune
Letters to the Editor
contact: iht@iht.com

On Weld and Marijnana
As a loyal overseas American, I was troubled to read of the bad blood
between Senators Richard Lugar and Jesse Helms concerning the
nomination of William Weld as U.S. ambassador to Mexico. It seems
that Mr. Weld favors the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes,
which is anathema to Senator Helms. For the life of me, I couldn't
figure out why. Then it dawned: Marijuana is smoked. Someone
lighting up a joint is not using tobacco, and this constitutes a threat to
thousands of tobacco farmers in North Carolina.
There is, however, a happy solution. I recall an old movie in
which a wellmeaning American housewife inadvertently threw a fistful
of marijuana into a batch of cookies she was about to bake. It should
be brought to the attention of Mr. Helms that this form of
administration of cannabis constitutes absolutely no threat to the North
Carolina tobacco farmers.
PHILIP HOLZBERGER. Logian, France.

Mr. Helms claims that William Weld's sympathy for medical
marijuana disqualifies him from being U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Mr.
Weld would send a confusing message to the Mexicans, who somehow
deserve an ambassador who is "tough on drugs." But maybe it's time
we started treating the Mexicans like neighborswhat better mission
for an ambassador than that?
PAUL WOLF. New Paltz, New York.

Marijuana is not the real issue here. It is William Weld's
tolerance of homosexuals andof womon's right to control their bodies
a rejection oi the dogma of those who currently control the
Republican Party.

Mr. Weld might actually make a decent president, which is
what lesse Helms and his ilk are really afraid of Americans have had a
lot worse.
BOB GROSS. Paris.

Regarding "We Don't Want a Drug Legalizer" (Opinion, July 31) by
A.M. Rosenthal:

Mr. Rosenthal uses the WeldHelms debate as a pretext to
rehash his antidrug beliefs. Latin American and Asian drug lords reap
huge rewards from the continued criminalizalion of drugs. Mr.
Rosenthal is also silent on the subject of alcohol, whose effects are
arguably worse than those of marijuana.

PHILIP GLOUCHEVITCH. South Royalton, Vermont.

IHT August 19 1997
Drugs and Politics

A.M. Rosenthal, in "We Don't Want a Drug Legalizer"
(Opinion, July 31) seems to ignore the fact that while there is a valid
movement to legalize marijuana, other more potent and dangerous
drugs have been in use as medicine for decades. Cocaine is used as a
topical anesthetic, and opiates (from which heroin hails) are used for
general anesthesia.

Furthermore, the new wave of drug abuse, as I see it, is with
drugs obtained through one's doctor.

I personally appreciate choice among painkillers. And if I can
choose a marijuana derivative over an opiatederived drug, I will.

William Weld's advocacy of legalization for medical use of
marijuana should not affect his candidacy to be ambassador to Mexico.

What we have here is yet another example of politicians seizing
on the issue of the day to ensure that they get maximum media
coverage and that only a minimum of government business is
expedited.
DANIEL YOHANNES. New York.