POT LAW: A SCAM

San Bernardino and San Diego counties have joined to fight back
against the problems brought to our state by the pro-legalization pot
initiative called Prop. 215 ("Counties to challenge state's medical
pot law," Aug. 27).

Despite a very small pro-legalization group that protested against
San Bernardino County in mid-August in a poor attempt to demand pot
cards, members of the San Bernardino County Board of supervisors saw
through their smoke and will now ask the state Supreme Court to
intervene in the subsequent Medical Marijuana Program Act.

Giving pot to people is a violation of federal law, and for good
reason. Smoked marijuana is not approved by the Federal Drug
Administration because marijuana brings more harm than good to the
body -- and community -- than the drug-legalization movement has been
telling us here in California for well over a decade.

Kudos to San Bernardino and San Diego counties for trying to undo
problems caused by Prop. 215, which sanctioned pot use for medical reasons.

Prop. 215, approved by voters in 1996 and precursor to the Medical
Marijuana Program Act, was a scam. Today, more than a quarter million
Californians have medical pot cards.

That number is nearly equal to the entire population of the city of
Riverside, and Riverside County is now adding to the problem by
issuing pot cards, and at taxpayers' expense using county employees
and a county facility to do so.

To date, Riverside County has issued more than 1,000 pot cards. This
is nonsense. Such money would be better spent on education,
especially given scarce public funds for legitimate services.

The drug-legalization movement in Riverside is attempting to grow,
and its members continue to push the sick in front of the media for
their own selfish cause.

Stop Issuing Cards

The city of Riverside must act to ban marijuana dispensaries (like
its neighbors), and Riverside County must reverse course and stop
issuing marijuana ID cards. Doing so will solidify the Inland Empire
as a region that saw through the scam we were fooled into voting for
more than 10 years ago. Drug users need drug treatment, not more drugs.

It's horrible that people get sick. Medical-marijuana supporters say
symptoms of certain illnesses can be alleviated with the drug, but
smoked marijuana is not medicine. Numerous drugs have been approved
by the FDA for these symptoms though. However, the pro-legalization
people fight this argument tooth and nail.

They know that when they are exposed, the public will see their
effort for what it is -- a drug-legalization movement that pushed
Prop. 215 for no other reason than to feed its members' own
addictions, with zero concern for communities and public safety.

For example, they couldn't care less that many high school students
might gather that it is OK for them to smoke marijuana. For the
drug-legalization movement, these youths are their next generation of
legal-drug advocates. Never mind that these kids risk falling down
the slippery slope of drug use, abuse and addiction.

Never will you hear the legal-drug movement reference "help" for drug
users. Well, the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition will.
Users of marijuana and other drugs should utilize the vast network of
resources. Our Web site is a great place to start ( www.ivdfc.org).

Unfortunately, the drug-legalization movement in the Inland Empire
networks with other pro-drug organizations nationwide.

The only way to counter such a negative influence in our community is
to fight back, and that's exactly what the Inland Valley Drug Free
Community Coalition -- along with more than 700 other drug-free
community coalitions nationwide -- will continue to do with our
volunteer parents, teachers, youths and other community members.

Divert Pot Funding

Marijuana use is just one concern among many for our coalition.
However, with the growing pro-pot propaganda in the region, we are
obligated to counter such nonsense for the good of our communities
and safety of our children.

Again, Riverside County's pot-card funding should be diverted to drug
education, prevention, treatment and enforcement programs, not pot
dispensaries.

Kudos to San Bernardino and San Diego counties for trying to overturn
California's Medical Marijuana Program Act! Now it's time for the
city of Riverside and Riverside County to step up to the plate and
knock the drug-legalization movement off its Purple Haze and sugar kush highs.