IT'S THE PROHIBITION ON MARIJUANA THAT IS HARMFUL TO ECOSYSTEM

There is a simple and obvious way to address the concerns of those who
believe marijuana cultivation is damaging the "fragile" ecosystems in
California: Decriminalize the cultivation, sale and use of hemp and
marijuana ("Marijuana growers farm their crops on public lands," Aug. 15).
The reason asparagus and corn farmers do not use the backcountry as their
gardens is that they can grow their crops without risking arrest and
confiscation of their property by armed government agents.

In covering this story, the reporter for Knight Ridder Newspapers failed to
challenge the nonsense propagated by police that marijuana is somehow
dangerous. In fact it is less likely to harm the user's health than legal
substances such as tobacco and alcohol and is less likely to lead to
interpersonal violence or other social problems than many other
recreational drugs, including, again, alcohol. Lies about the effects of
marijuana, which are widely disbelieved by thinking people anyway, provide
justification for outlawing it. And its illegal status is the cause of the
problems enumerated in the article.

Just as the prohibition of alcohol caused death and destruction in the
cities of the United States, prohibition of marijuana can cause only harm.

Joe Peacott

Anchorage