END PROHIBITION OF MARIJUANA

Thank you for printing Froma Harrop's Oct. 27 column "America's best
idea meets one of the worst."

The headline refers to illegal pot plants being found in America's
national parks -- plants that should be growing safely in backyards
rather than destroying our beautiful national parks.

She mentioned several key points such as Mexican drug cartels,
increased pot potency, medical marijuana dispensaries, tax revenue,
farmers, public favor for legalization, and the political nonsense
stopping it from happening.

I'm sure she didn't forget to mention all the other related issues to
pot prohibition. There are just too many of them.

I would have liked to have seen being imprisoned mentioned or that no
one has ever died from an overdose.

The fact that medical marijuana patients are often, if not always,
required to have medical identification cards, as well as for growers
or caretakers is absolutely absurd.

I have never heard of medical ID cards for any other prescribed drug.
Most prescription pain pills are easily more dangerous, abused and
powerful than pot.

I'm not saying we should require patients using prescription pills to
have ID cards, either. The very idea of putting a person's identity
on a card that also says they have prescribed drugs is a horrible
idea. Who does that protect? It only makes them into potential
targets for criminals.

There are so many reasons why ending pot prohibition could lead to a
better, happier America, yet no evidence that keeping it illegal is
helping anyone or anything.

Millions of Americans, and billions more around the world, enjoy
using Cannabis.

The war on drugs only exacerbates the problem, as it did with alcohol
prohibition. Ending the pot prohibition isn't enough to end needless
suffering, but it's a good start.

Joey Comer

Loudon