GLARING SPOTLIGHT

Re: "Selling pot 'in the light' " (Newslines, by Ginger McGuire, CN&R, Nov.
13:

Your story about Joel Castle I found to be very interesting. You did
not state in the article if he was under the influence of weed when he
did the interview. Interviewing someone under the influence of a drug
is like reporting convoluted, fuzzy and error-laden
information.

What can we expect next, an Oxycontin pusher of the week story or
possibly drug dealer of the year article? I know this type of juvenile
minutia moves your papers in a college town with a quasi-high-school
drug mentality, but please, no more pothead interviews.

The majority of social ills are driven by drugs no matter what they
are called: legal, innocent, being cool, harmless, fun, relaxing, or
medicating. Child abuse, domestic violence, prostitution, death, rape,
murder, molestation, incarceration, theft-many social ills do not care
what the drug of choice is called.

Why don't you try providing more stories on these issues? You could
even include stories about how Chico is awash with ecstasy, Oxycontin,
Vicodin, and how they might be the root causes of college-student
overdoses, suicides and families' pain and suffering. I guess that
wouldn't be cool, would it?

Jim Bettencourt

Willows