MARIJUANA SHOULD NOT BE CONTROLLED

The two views on medical marijuana by John Sajo and Roger Burt are
both flawed.

John Sajo's ace in the hole is the $10 million to $40 million of
revenue that would be created during the first year of Initiative 28's
passage (Control, tax medical marijuana, May 27).

Roger Burt wants the use of medical marijuana abolished (Medical pot a
gateway to problems, May 27). Monetarily speaking, his bottom line is
pharmaceutical corporations can profit from it, but not the state of
Oregon.

Title 37 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (471.403) says "the Liquor
Control Act does not apply to the making or keeping of naturally
fermented wines and fruit juices or beer in the home, for home
consumption and not for sale." The same common sense should apply to
marijuana grown in the home.

Legal or not, marijuana is a naturally growing plant. Handing it over
to Big Pharma, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission or the Department
of Human Services to regulate only introduces more control over our
lives. Adults in Oregon are capable of making their own decisions --
whether one agrees with them or not.

Robert Simms

Oregon City