DON'T PICK ON POT PEOPLE

Editor:

Re: Police bust huge pot farm, September 3.

Why did you not publish an even-handed account of the situation
instead of coming off like a "Gee willikers sergeant, isn't this
exciting?" type of police reporter?

Next time, please try to control your excitement long enough to
include the comments of those of us who oppose these ridiculous drug
laws.

Drug prohibition began during the early years of the 20th century as a
means of suppressing blacks, Mexicans and Chinese by banning the drugs
these minorities used. Today, it has become a tool for the cops to
control and/or harass those whose appearance or lifestyle they despise.

As far marijuana goes, this racially-inspired crusade is getting a bit
silly. Marijuana is, for all intents and purposes, a legal drug. The
people have spoken. Millions of hard-working and productive Americans
and Canadians use the stuff including some, I don't doubt, on your
staff.

The police should be told to stop wasting their time and our money
pulling up plants and do what we pay them to do: protect us from
dangerous criminals.

Besides, why should the cops get their marijuana free while the rest
of us have to pay for it?

No government has the right to punish anyone for ingesting anything,
however harmful - yes including heroin and other "hard" drugs too - so
please stop reporting on the drug war as if it were the most normal
thing in the world to jail people for what they choose to ingest into
their own bodies.

Please wake up and begin reporting on drug prohibition as the
Hitler-like horror it is.

Alan Randell

Victoria