BLOWING ILLEGAL SMOKE

When we talk about substance use/abuse, those whose drug of choice --
alcohol -- is legal are immediately at odds with people who prefer marijuana.

"I smoked pot for 10 years and never had the slightest inclination to try
another drug except alcohol and tobacco, the worst two drugs on the
planet," a reader wrote.

He continued his testimony:

"When faced with such an ending, an intelligent man sent by a
not-so-intelligent government to 'protect' a people who had absolutely no
use for us, a people who considered the American Army their enemy. Our
panacea was to smoke their potent plant, marijuana.

"Thanks to an above-average sense of survival, I talked my way into a job
at an NCO club, serving alcohol to the lucky soldiers who made it back from
a two-week 'field trip' killing whomever they thought was the enemy --
sometimes women and children, since it was difficult to tell the difference
between the innocent and the 'enemy.' "

Other readers called to ask if I'd ever known anybody who smoked pot.

Yes, we all know people who currently smoke pot, or have smoked in the
past. And we also know that one of the contraindications of marijuana is
that prolonged use tends to severely impair the judgment of the rich and
famous.

Anyone who doesn't actually know a person who smokes, can always watch the
headlines or the evening news and the latest pot-induced stupid celebrity
tricks.

This week, Bobby "Mr. Whitney Houston" Brown in the news once again. This
time on traffic charges and possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. He
can't leave Georgia for a couple more weeks until his trial from a 1996
traffic stop. In '97 he missed a hearing on charges of driving under the
influence.

Bobby's cousin-in-law, Dionne Warwick, was caught with pot in her luggage
earlier this year by airport police in Miami. Stashed among her belongings
was a silver case containing 11 marijuana cigarettes.

Hello? Tightened post-Sept. 11 airport security has nabbed more than a few
people in possession of illegal drugs.

A few years ago, Whitney was busted with one-half ounce of pot at
Keahole-Kona Airport in Hawaii. For years, rumors have circulated about
Whitney's and Bobby's drug use, which seems to include a fondness for pot.

Saying anything about marijuana, other than calling for its legalization,
falls on quite a few deaf ears.

I can't see myself joining any effort to call for the legalization of
marijuana. My reasons, however, differ from those of some of the pro-pot
readers. I do not think drug use should be classified as criminal behavior.

Incarceration is not comparable to rehabilitation. It simply keeps some
users in environments where they don't have access to drugs. It does
nothing to prepare them for the stresses, trials and temptations of life in
what they call "the free world."

But we know to de-criminalize drug use would empty too many prison cells --
and subsequently, too many wallets and too many bank accounts.