END THE INQUISITION

Like the conservatives who invented drug prohibition, columnist Ric
Llewellyn ("So-called medical marijuana is a con," Aug. 22) is willing
to distort any fact and tell any lie to keep the drug crusade going.

The main historic point being that there was no such thing as "drug
crime" before we had drug prohibition. When drugs were legal, addicts
were not robbing, whoring and murdering to get their fix. There were
no drug gangs, no criminal drug cartels and no such thing as drug
crime. All of that is a product of a lunatic drug crusade that has
utterly failed for more than 90 years.

Here are questions for Llewellyn: Name one positive achievement of
the drug war. Name one stated goal that has ever been achieved. When
was the goal of "saving people from themselves" ever achieved?

The medical aspect of cannabis was settled in 1975 when Professor
Donald Tashkin conducted a rigorous study proving that one toke of
marijuana could instantly stop potentially lethal bronchospasms. One
puff of marijuana stops severe asthma attacks and restores normal
breathing in less than half the time of standard asthma medicines.
Hundreds of people die of bronchospasms while under hospital care
every year, so providing smoked marijuana could save a lot of lives.

I haven't had a bronchospasm in more than three years since I began
treating my asthma with marijuana.

FLOYD KRAUTNER

Bakersfield