GAINING GROUND

Regarding "Defeats For Marijuana Legalization" (Our Opinion, Nov. 27):

The Nevada initiative received more than 39 percent of the vote, not 35
percent as the Partnership For A Drug-Free America reports. The four-point
difference is significant since it is much higher than the summer 2001 USA
Today poll, which showed 34 percent of Americans believe we should legalize
marijuana for responsible adult use. Also, Nevada and Arizona included
additional measures within the initiatives mandating a state-run
distribution system. This extra "baggage" resulted in more "no" votes than
would have been recorded had there been only one question - whether an
otherwise law-abiding adult should be subject to a jail cage and long-term
criminal record merely for marijuana possesion. And the PDFA omits telling
you that both U.S. Drug Czar John Walters and Drug Enforcement
Administration Adminstrator Asa Hutchinson spent taxpayer time in both
states lobbying against the initiatives - a blatant violation of campaign
and election laws.

Thankfully, 72 percent of Americans polled agree that decriminalizaing
marijuana is preferable to our current policy of arresting almost 2,000
people a day for possession alone (more than for all violent crimes
combined). As we watch Canada, Great Britian and most of Western Europe
embrace both medical marijuana use and also decrim possession for adults,
we can confidently view American opinions moving closer towards ending the
War Against Americans, formerly known as the War Against Marijuana.

Stephen Heath, Clearwater

The writer is public relations director of Drug Policy Forum of Florida.