POT'S AN ANSWER TO PRAYER

Re "A proliferation of pot" (Editorial, March 3):

I read this editorial with horror and anger. The powers that be keep
looking at this issue through impure motives: 1) the desire to control
and 2) fear of reprisal.

Anyone who's been in the cannabis industry in any form will tell you
that it's effective, safe and potentially the earner that small farms
and individuals need to feed their children, send them to school,
develop into community, etc. We're not the ones who are fighting each
other-it's the people in charge who are lording it over suffering
people, mentally and physically ill as well as financially suffering
people.

It's not unlike the revolts in places like Libya, where people are
crying out for freedom and the establishment is coming with guns drawn
at peaceful, honest, hardworking people who are simply trying to make
a living. The only difference is that instead of actual shooting, they
hold a gun to your face and threaten to.

It isn't fair to have big pharmaceutical companies sell so-called meds
that are subject to recall because of side effects while cannabis has
never killed anyone! How many deaths are attributed to Vicodin,
Oxycodone, etc? How many of these side effects have led to homicides,
suicides, etc? None of these deaths can be attributed to the use of
cannabis, which has been proven to be a very effective medicine.

It's past time for the legalization of cannabis, both federally and
locally. It's time to open it up for tourists to come and spend
freely-do you hear me? Freely. At a time when we need resources so
badly and our state is in such financial straits, we should take
advantage of every opportunity we're presented with. This plant is an
answer to prayer-not a plague to fear!

Heidi Hameed

Paradise