STILL ILLEGAL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

To the Editor:

Eric Schlosser's freedom to publicly criticize the government's war on
marijuana is at the core of the constitutional protection of free speech.

Unfortunately, thoughtful critiques such as his may soon be effectively
outlawed in many public places. On Wednesday, a federal court in Washington
heard a challenge to a law that cancels all federal financing to transit
authorities that display ads promoting reform of marijuana laws. Evidently,
criticisms of marijuana policy are so threatening to the government that it
has resorted to enacting laws that blatantly trample our First Amendment
rights.

Mr. Schlosser's critique of American marijuana policies is courageous,
insightful and, above all, necessary. Let us hope that in the coming weeks
the federal court will uphold the First Amendment and defend our right to
publicly question unfair and wasteful marijuana laws.

GRAHAM BOYD New Haven, April 29, 2004 The writer is director, A.C.L.U. Drug
Policy Litigation Project.