BREAKING LAW IS WRONG, PERIOD

In response to the April 23 reader who questioned why the educated
citizens of our city who choose to smoke marijuana should be
punished, I'll give you the only reason you need: Smoking marijuana is illegal.

Having worked in the alcohol and drug prevention arena for over 20
years, and as an international speaker for youth, I have the
opportunity to work with teenagers from many cultures, backgrounds
and beliefs. It's always interesting to work with students whose
parents arbitrarily pick what laws their family will follow. Those
students don't understand the boundaries of laws, because they are
taught that if they can present a rationale that gives the right not
to follow a law, then they don't have to.

This thinking and teaching is so flawed and ultimately hurts these
children. They become confused as to what is right and what is wrong.
They are taught to be responsible citizens, but then aren't taught to
follow the law unless they "feel like it?"

I would love to take these educated, stable citizens with me on a
journey that follows the trail of that one harmless joint they smoke.
I'd like them to see the trail of people who are broken or abused on
the road back to that cannabis plant that supplied their drug of
choice. I'd like to see how relaxed and peaceful they feel when
watching what some people endure as they farm and traffic those plants.

Open your eyes. If we start to arbitrarily obey laws, we lose all
sense of boundaries to what is right and what is wrong. It is wrong
to break a law. It is not OK to pretend that you are squeaky clean
when you elevate your sense of law breaking above another crime. It's
still a crime and should be punished.

Harriet Turk

Cordova