BURNS WRONG ON POT

To the editor:

Deputy Drug Czar Burns might be suffering from something that affects
his thought processes. He claims that if Alaskans choose to handle
marijuana laws the way that they did between 1975 and 1983, when
adults were permitted to grow the plant, before pot was criminalized,
that the government and corporations will not want to invest money
here--Hmmm. Not only does Alaska's history contradict his claims but
common sense does as well.

From the years 1975 through 1983, when pot grew unrestricted all over
the state, Alaska had more military personnel stationed here than we
do now and the economy boomed then. No one can remember a company
saying, "We'd like to come to Alaska to build (XYZ) company, but you
guys aren't harsh enough with your marijuana laws." Our crime rate was
lower then, too.

Of course, Mr. Burns wasn't here then. He only came recently, to
frighten us with bogus claims about a plant he apparently knows very
little about, and he swears he wasn't here to influence our votes. I
think he was here to influence our votes.

For the sake of argument, let's consider his hollow claims for a
moment. Twenty percent of U.S. crude oil travels our highway
corridors. Forts Richardson and Wainwright are state-of-the-art light
infantry posts and home to the new Stryker Brigade. Eielson and
Elmendorf Air Force bases are designated as Strategic Air Command.
Fort Greely houses the new Missile Defense System and is one of only
two pieces of real estate where the military can fire their heavy
artillery and have their shells land on their own property. Our
seaports receive military munitions, and Alaska is one of the few
places where our troops can train on U.S. soil in arctic conditions.

Mr. Burns wants us to believe that Uncle Sam would forfeit all this,
because we failed to jail some pot smokers? Is Mr. Burns that deluded?
Or is he spinning fables? Or both?

Sincerely,

Charles F. Gray

Fairbanks