DEAR GLORIA BARAQUIO

Please don't fear the end of the war on marijuana. It's going to be a
glorious time. Your compassion and open mind helps to bring light to
the issue of cannabis prohibition, which is indeed a troublesome one.
Thank you for speaking up on what you see with your own eyes. I
applaud you and the Tribune-Herald for that.

The continued war on cannabis is destroying our communities and the
very fabric of our society. It's not the drug itself that's causing
this destruction, it's the war on it. Isn't that ironic? It's time
for people to wake up and see the realities. We've been deceived and
scared far too long. The Internet is here and the information is
available. Not just one side, but all of it.

The medicinal qualities of the cannabis plant are well documented and
need to be accepted. It can be used to treat multiple sclerosis,
cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches,
PMS, asthma, severe pain and many other ailments and diseases.

The hemp movement is in full swing, and I have faith that reason and
compassion will prevail. Smart countries like England, Holland,
Germany and Switzerland have learned that fighting a war on this most
useful plant is wrong and against any common sense. Hemp has been
used for thousands of years to provide us with food, fuel, fiber and medicine.

There's hardly anything the plant is not good for, and we can grow it
right here if we only choose so. Our energy "crisis" is not a crisis,
if we promote hemp as an alternative fuel. Forget about ethanol from
corn, which is raising the price of everything right now. The answer
is hemp. Forests and world oil reserves don't need to be depleted or
fought over in bloody wars no longer. Hemp is a weed and grows
anywhere. Easiest thing in the world. Doesn't need fertilizers or bug
spay to grow big and beautiful. Doesn't even deplete our soils and
poison our food. What a noble idea.

So why is our government still fighting this war and terrorizing our
communities? It's not about people getting high. It's purely
economics and maintaining the status quo of power, money and control.
Oh, and the fact that nobody wants to admit that they really screwed
up for all these years. Sounds familiar?

So what can we do? Inform yourself and talk about it. The more people
learn, the more things will change. Don't fear the end of the war and
keep your mind and heart open. The answer is LOVE.

C.J. "Sprocket" Strehlau

Hilo