LEGALIZATION IS EASY FIX

Your editorial Sunday, "Marijuana vs. Gunslinging," hit the nail
square on the head. I've never smoked marijuana in my life and
hopefully will never have a reason to, but if the time should ever
come when perhaps because of medical reasons I should need it, I'd
much prefer to be able to buy it legally, by prescription from my
doctor, from a safe reliable source.

Some people apparently enjoy smoking marijuana socially to relax in
their own homes with friends. What would be so bad about growing a
few plants in their gardens along with the lettuce and tomatoes?

If those folks were able to buy their marijuana legally in a shop, or
grow enough for their own use at home, would that not be better than
spending $25 million on law enforcement to hunt down criminals and
destroy the untold thousands of plants grown illegally in the woods?

Tobacco is legal, yet by now we all know the danger of breathing that
poison into our lungs. I've lost several dear friends to the ravages
of lung cancer.

My first marriage was destroyed by alcohol abuse. I've seen firsthand
the damage alcohol can do to a family, not to mention the innocent
lives lost each year because of multiple-offence drunken drivers.

But I've yet to hear of a single case where a fatal accident was
caused by a marijuana smoker. Legalization sounds like a simple solution to me.

Pat Waldron

Redding