WHAT ARE THE FEDS SMOKING?

Re "Couple found guilty in pot case," Aug. 17: I guess the U.S.
Justice Department can at last be satisfied, now that they've finally
succeeded in convicting self-professed "Pot Doc" Mollie Fry and her
attorney husband, Dale Schafer. Both now face long prison sentences.

It may be true (as defense attorney Tony Serra averred) that the
couple were "overzealous" in their promotion of marijuana as a safe
and sane alternative to the concoctions of the pharmaceutical industry.

But their real zealotry -- the cause for which they now look to
sacrifice their freedom -- was their determination to shield their
otherwise law-abiding patients from the predations of state and
federal drug agents. Now that shield is gone.

Trying to protect their patients from becoming criminals, they became
criminals themselves.

With multiple states enacting medical marijuana laws, isn't it about
time for the feds to call off the dogs? Sending good people to jail
does nothing for society -- and it certainly does nothing for Dr.
Fry, her husband or her soon-to-be-orphaned children.

- - Chuck Seidel, Carmichael