DRUG LAWS ARE SKEWED

As I was reading a recent edition of the Record-Eagle, I came across an
article that both angered me and at the same time didn't really surprise me.
It seems that in this country, if you are related to the president of the
United States, you just don't have to worry about going to jail. Noelle
Bush, daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush, seems to have it made. I thought parole
violators went to jail? It seems that criminals who have "connections" can
just scoot by the "justice system."

One of my questions is, how many court orders can she violate and still get
away with not going to jail? Then I guess I must be missing the "big
picture" here. It seems that the War on Drugs has failed, as well as the
legal system, when it comes to privileged kids. If you, or I, or our
children - regular folk - participate in illegal activities, we expect to
pay for our mistakes. I think it's time for us to look at what we can do to
as a society to change the way "justice" is handed out.

It just doesn't seem right that Oklahoma sentenced James Geddes to 150 years
for possession of marijuana, a drug considered less harmful than tobacco or
alcohol, while Noelle can repeatedly get away with the use of one of the
worst drugs ever produced, and repeatedly get a slap on the wrist from our
judicial system.

Studies show marijuana is harmless, and crack cocaine can destroy your
health, your family and your life. I think it's time to wake up, change the
drug laws to reflect today's attitude towards the use of "soft drugs,"
penalize the importers of "hard drugs," and stop coddling the rich. Of
course, that's only my opinion.

Paul T. Watson

Traverse City