MAKING CRIMINALS OUT OF POT SMOKERS IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

If you don't like the law, can you really change it?

Reading the lead article, "Marijuana Bills Halted in House," in the
Maui Weekly's April 8-14 edition, I was humored by the amount of
energy the established nonsensical officials go to in order to
maintain this prohibition and perpetuate the fear of a substance that
has been growing in popularity since I first began smoking it some 50
years ago. I remember conversations with some self-righteous police
officers way back then, and there response was, "If you don't like
the law, you can change it."

"LOL." We, the citizens, have been trying to change this law for at
least 50 years and yet the police and selected officials are still
making too much money from it to ever allow us, the people, to do that.

I especially laughed out loud reading the imported fear monger from
L.A., Bixler, implying that his "squads have seen a sustainable
increase in crime rates-nearly 200 percent-and worsening since the
dispensaries started popping up." "Theoretically, these places are
just storefront marijuana dealers," he said.

I don't have time to examine the logic-or lack of it-here, but I will
say that I have witnessed more sociological damage done to otherwise
harmless young and older people from individuals like Bixler and his
ilk than I have ever witnessed from the thousands of joints that have
been smoked in spite of the misguided public fear-mongers and
punishment-oriented public servants who receive a paycheck from us.

It seems the police and the legislators are living in a fear-oriented
delusion of "parental superiority" that they obviously don't deserve.

Making criminals out of people who smoke pot is counterproductive. We
should finally get over it and spend the money putting our kids back
in school on Fridays!

Lloyd Buell
Kula