DON'T FEAR THE REEFER

"We should be treating drug abuse like the disease that it is, and
not the crime that it isn't."

In a nutshell, that says it all. TGI's editorial focuses on a local
and nationwide perception on marijuana which gives hemp a bad name.
("Red light for Green Harvest," Forum, May 31)

The sheer fear of that evil plant has created a mindset that makes it
virtually impossible to consider the positive uses and applications
of industrial hemp which are versatile.

With specific reference to that variety of hemp that induces
"mind-altering propensities," emphasis should be placed on education,
prevention, and/or treatment (if needed).

By doing that, the prison population will drop substantially and our
police officers can apply their time and resources to other law
enforcement priorities.

If we're going to create laws to prevent the ways we choose to kill
ourselves with the things we ingest, we need to revisit the taxed and
lawful commodities of alcoholic beverages and nicotine-laced cigarettes.

While we're at it, what can or should we do about too much fat and
sugar in our diets? Or, how about the mis-use of prescription drugs?

In other words, we shouldn't be justifying what's legal based on
selective "do's and don't's" or the manipulations of propaganda
techniques in joining the bandwagon of popular opinion.

It's better for us to gather the facts, analyze and assess the
information, and base our choices and actions with clarity and integrity.

Jose Bulatao Jr., Kekaha