SUPREME COURT'S RULING ON MEDICINAL USE OF MARIJUANA

'Going Up In Smoke'

Perhaps we are missing the point in the discussion over medicinal
marijuana. I do not smoke marijuana, and I am not a "pot-head." I am a high
school teacher who works with young people every day, and I completely
oppose our nation's failing war on marijuana. This so-called "war" being
waged by pompous politicians who want to look tough on crime is a
well-documented disaster that is draining our hard-earned tax money and
making a mockery of the individual liberties on which our country was founded.

On the federal level, $4 billion is spent annually on the arrest,
prosecution and incarceration of marijuana offenders. Kentucky spends over
$7 million eradicating cannabis plants every year. There is no solid
evidence that extended prison sentences and eradication efforts reduce the
use of drugs in our society. Our hard-earned money, which is sorely needed
for local infrastructure, community development and education, is literally
going up in smoke.

Ever since the passage of mandatory minimum jail sentences for drug
offenders (including marijuana) in the 1980s, the prison population in the
U.S. has exploded. We now incarcerate a larger percentage of our population
than any other country in the world. Often, first-time, nonviolent
marijuana offenders are serving longer terms than violent criminals. These
laws completely violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution that
protects us against cruel and unusual punishment.

Make no mistake: Marijuana is not harmless, as some would claim. It does
impair judgment, and it causes some of the same long-term health issues as
cigarettes. However, vilifying its use distracts us from a much more
important question: Do our current policies truly make our state and our
country a better place to live? If we cannot answer this question with
certainty, it is time to put aside shallow "get tough" slogans and at least
open a dialogue on other possibilities.

MICHAEL E. SLIDER

La Grange, Ky. 40031