MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Re "Backing for law on medical pot climbs in poll," Jan. 30: Thanks for
reporting on the poll showing 74 percent of California's registered voters
support medical marijuana, and 63 percent have smoked pot. We are clearly
fed up with vengeful drug war policies. Regardless of state law, the
federal government, led by Attorney General John Ashcroft and President
Bush, continues to come in to California and arrest otherwise law-abiding
citizens for using medical marijuana - a medicine deemed legal by
California voters and supported by a wide majority. The feds' overzealous
prosecution of marijuana users (medical or not) is destroying more lives
than the drug itself.

Times are changing. Nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates
support medical marijuana. Also, most of the top gubernatorial candidates
during the recall supported it, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Californians need to stand up against the DEA's Gestapo tactics. We also
need to tell our governor to do the right thing - protect medical marijuana
users from out-of-control federal agents.

- - Don Button, Sacramento