ATTACK ON POT UNWARRANTED

While public opinion was overwhelmingly censuring the folly of library
book censorship on the Opinion page (Oct. 26), a front page story
informed us of another "moral crusade."

It appears that a well-financed effort is underway to inflict a mortal
blow to the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA). Dan Harmon, its
leader, asserted without substantiation that the law is widely abused.
Widely abused? The article reveals that, 10 years after passage of
OMMA, the number of medical marijuana cards statewide and in Linn and
Benton counties translates to only 8.0, 6.9 and 4.5 per 1,000 persons,
respectively. Harmon also said that OMMA "says something about
permissiveness in this state, and we've got to stop this
permissiveness. It's a very symbolic issue."

A more compelling problem is exposed by Pamela Starr on the
aforementioned Opinion page. The article on Mexico's narco war
emphasized the heavy flow of weapons from the U.S. "that is fueling an
explosion of drug-related violence in Mexico."

She states, "Murder, kidnapping and extortion on the U.S. side of the
border will continue to increase in tandem with growing violence on
the Mexican side." According to the Mexican government, 97 percent of
the drug cartels' weapons are purchased at sporting goods stores and
gun shows in the U.S. Only stricter regulations of weapon acquisition
within the U.S. will stem the flow to Mexico. Perhaps Mr. Harmon would
like to take on that real problem.

Mike Wolf

Corvallis