DRUG WAR IS WRONG, REPRESSIVE

As a former St. Cloud resident I was happy to see Jeff Miller's Sept. 14
letter with his encouragement to rethink the war on drugs.

How can we bear drug laws that do more damage than the drugs themselves? But
as dismal as it seems to end Prohibition, good reasons for optimism remain.

Canada has improved its medical system by giving doctors the right to
prescribe marijuana as is done with morphine, codeine and heroin when there
is medical need.

Canadians also enjoy a lucrative hemp industry.

And their move to decriminalize marijuana used for pleasure is under way. I
believe that Canada's humanity and sanity is rubbing off on U.S. lawmakers
while we citizens grow bitter about wasted billions of public dollars spent
on misinformation, on corrupted law enforcement and a bloated prison system.

The Alaska State Appeals Court recently ruled that their state Constitution
protects citizen privacy to the point where adults can legally possess up to
4 ounces of marijuana in their home. Because marijuana possession remains a
federal offense in conflict with Alaskan law, we'll soon see whether feds
prevail on state rights. I feel optimistic.

The federal crackdown caused damage to California's state-approved medical
marijuana system, but it backfired. It looks like judges and lawmakers will
continue to back the states as these incidents are resolved.

In 1973, Richard Nixon ordered the Shafer Commission to determine the truth
about marijuana and recommend appropriate regulations. They determined that
marijuana should be legalized.

Unfortunately their advice was contradicted, and the drug war became a
persistent, deadly war on U.S. citizens -- and foreign nations, too.

Not all eyes are closed. I take my hat off to Jeff Miller and to sane,
humane alternatives to the undemocratic and repressive war on drugs.

David Hopkins

Superior, Wis.