ASHCROFT'S ATTACK ON PIPE DEALERS RIDICULOUS

In response to George Deutsch's March 7 column:

At a time when America was under high alert for terrorism, Attorney General
John Ashcroft was on a marijuana jihad, squandering Department of Justice
resources on a nationwide hunt for bongs.

With marijuana decriminalization on the horizon in neighboring Canada, the
United States may soon be one the few Western countries that uses its
criminal justice system to punish otherwise law-abiding citizens who prefer
marijuana to martinis.

Ashcroft's reefer madness is best exemplified by the federal government's
paramilitary raids on voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California.

The very same attorney general who claims illicit drug use funds terrorism
is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers.
Apparently, marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the
country from terrorism.

Students who want to help end the intergenerational culture war otherwise
known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug
Policy at www.ssdp.org.

Thank you for your consideration.

Robert Sharpe, MPA Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance