POT ISSUE NEEDS TO BE TACKLED DIFFERENTLY

I read with much interest Chico High School Principal Jim Hanlon's
letter about his concerns about the legalization of marijuana and its
effect on his high school students. I agree that its use by students
causes motivation to plummet, truancy to increase, and other problems.

However, he must know that marijuana is now and always has been fully
available to every student who wants it for many years before
Proposition 215 was passed. Denying this would be untruthful.

What is needed, especially from well intentioned and caring people
like Hanlon, is developing an approach to this problem that truly has
the desired outcome.

First, we need to realize that pot is used by as many people that use
alcohol and will continue as such for pain relief, stress relief and
social recreation, and these people see it as within their rights to do so.

Secondly, we need to realize that the scarce funds in our government
cannot continue to be wasted on failed policies, like the "drug war,"
and need to be focused on expanding after-school sports, arts and
other positive activities.

We need to accept that we cannot keep drugs away from our children
and can only keep our children away from drugs.

How about we unlock the cells of the pot offenders and dump the
prison guard budget into our kids.

We need more Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, Girl Scouts, soccer, field trips
and meaningful activities for our kids, not law enforcement.

- -- Garry Cooper, Durham