MARIJUANA GROWERS, USERS NOT CRIMINALS

"Ringleader admits guilt in area pot scheme" (Local, Sept. 2) reminds
me, yet again, of another sick case of abuse by our legal system. Pot
smokers and sellers have, by and large, harmed no one. In the vast
majority of cases, they commit no other crimes. Their drug of choice
is widely acknowledged to be far less harmful than the legal
alternatives. Otherwise perfectly innocent, productive citizens are
being prosecuted and harshly punished, for simple disobedience.

Millions of lives are being destroyed, not by marijuana use per se,
but by the legal persecution of those who claim the right to use it.
The vicious intolerance that characterizes our anti-drug laws has no
place in a society that prides itself first and foremost, as one of
freedom and justice for all. It is a witch hunt, the consequences of
which are truly terrible.

We must end the drug war, a war against our own people, before far
more damage is done.

Richard Weld Savary

Mira Mesa