KIDS KNOW WHEN THEY'RE BEING LIED TO

Well, Rich Figel ("Addicted to Life," May 13) has some common sense,
doesn't he? Many people and organizations have been saying the same
thing about the drug war for quite some time now, and we continue to
lock up our citizens at a rate of about 600,000 to 700,000 a year for
pot. No, not all go to jail, but it's rotten thing to go through when
we all know that pot is less harmful than Tylenol.

I've written my representatives in Nevada, and what do you think I get
back? The same old "It's a dangerous drug" and "It's a gateway drug"
and "What about our children?" You can keep lying to kids, but they
will figure it out eventually. They know it's dangerous to drink and
drive, they see their friends getting hurt or killed. They know not to
smoke cigarettes, they see their parents coughing and dying. But you
can't tell them that pot is dangerous because they know better ... and
so should our federal government.

I didn't believe the government back in 1965 and I still don't today.
The only question I have is, why?

Craig Buehler,

Dayton, Nev.