STANCE ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS UNREALISTIC

Regarding "Ending reefer madness" (Opinion, Oct. 31), Cynthia Tucker
claims in this endorsement of legalizing another crutch for the
weak-minded that dysfunction in poor black neighborhoods is caused by
fallout from marijuana being illegal; that black men make poor
fathers, husbands and providers because they're in jail. It doesn't
take a genius to figure out that if these fathers, husbands and
providers didn't smoke dope or sell dope, they wouldn't be in jail in
the first place.

Law-abiding, productive citizens in this country manage somehow to
stay out of jail and find that liberal support for legalizing a
harmful, addictive habit is contrary to sensible, adult reasoning.
It's also doubtful that Tucker would light up in front of her child
even if Proposition 19 were approved. I think her support for it was
another of her attempts to appear provocative, rather than realistic.

Jack Franklin, Conyers