ENFORCING FEDERAL POT LAWS

It was interesting to see articles regarding medical marijuana on both Page
A1 ( "Medical pot dispute boiling over") and B1 ( "Employee fired for
medical pot use sues firm") Sept. 18.

The escalating dispute between the people of California and the federal
government has been simmering since passage of Proposition 215 put state
law and federal law in opposition.

As noted in the article, Attorney General Bill Lockyer is attempting to
negotiate an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Agency. Unfortunately, he
continues to avoid making the obvious case for the state to appeal to the
Supreme Court to weigh the Controlled Substances Act against the 9th and
10th amendments.

Lockyer could have done so, but did not, with the case of Brian Epis, the
medical marijuana patient recently sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
As a result, the people of California, granting power to the federal
government (at least that's what the Constitution says), get to pay taxes
to put a guy in prison for 10 years when, as a people, we disagree with the
law under which he was convicted. Isn't that the definition of tyranny?

- - Gerald Klaas, Sacramento