DRUG WARS

Thank you for running Duncan Campbell's excellent piece about the insane
sentence given Steve Treleaven for growing marijuana. ["The Terror War on
Drugs," December 13-19].

Alas, Treleaven is not alone. In the Sacramento area, Bryan Epis was
recently sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for the "crime" of growing
marijuana for a local medical marijuana co-op.

In Los Angeles, Scott Imler of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center
faces the possibility of a similar sentence, again for providing relief to
AIDS and cancer patients.

As for the alleged link between marijuana and terrorism, the Ottawa Citizen
said it best in a July 18, 2002, editorial: "Why do the fanatics of the
world zero in on the drug trade, instead of smuggling liquor or coffee,
sugar or chocolate bon-bons? It's because drugs are illegal."

It's easy - and largely appropriate - to blame conservative drug-war
ideologues in the Bush administration for these harsh policies. But it's
also past time to start asking why Democrats have been so consistently
timid in criticizing our nation's cruel and pointless war on marijuana
users. Even alleged liberals like Barbara Boxer and Xavier Becerra have
been missing in action.

Bruce Mirken

Director of Communications, Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C.