JUSTIFY INCARCERATING POT USERS

In his essay, "Fight against drug abuse will be won at local level" (Aug.
13), John Walters, White House director of the National Office for Drug
Control Policy, takes a tragedy and uses it as a rationale to justify the
war on drugs.

He argues from this tragic anecdote that marijuana should remain illegal.
Yet anyone can prove almost any conclusion by choosing a suitable anecdote.
I can relate to you how my friend Joe died from alcohol abuse or how my
Aunt Pam died from smoking cigarettes.

The majority of Americans know the risks involved in using alcohol or
nicotine and in driving a car. Most people support measures to make risky
activities safer. But criminal laws to outlaw these activities are never
part of the equation.

Punishment is one of the worst things a state can do to a citizen. Those
who favor imprisonment for marijuana users must explain why this law is just.

RICHARD BOLCAVITCH Lake Oswego