MISREPRESENTS STUDENTS

I, a student at Flagler Palm Coast High School, have recently been appalled
by the misrepresentation of my school in the debate on legalization of
marijuana. The News-Journal seems to believe that all students support
legalization. The vast majority of students at our school are against the
use not only of drugs, but of alcohol and tobacco as well.

Several students, including me, are also appalled that The News-Journal has
used a school -- the place where students are taught about the horrible
effects of drugs -- as a platform to discuss the merits of marijuana
("Behind czarist truths': Deception is no way to wage the drug war," Sept.
26 editorial).

Students such as Chris Cavaliere, president of the Leo's Club, who agreed
with drug czar John Walters about not wanting to increase a substance
problem by legalizing marijuana, have been ignored.

In addition, The News-Journal has focused on student Gabe Clifton's ideas
that since the drug problem seems to have grown, the law itself has failed
and should be repealed. Again I disagree. This law is not necessarily as
unpopular as a reader is led to believe. Unlike Mr. Clifton, I will not
make up statistics to support my case, but I can safely say that morally
minded citizens are against allowing more harmful substances into our
community. Furthermore, the issue of using limited marijuana as a medical
benefit was never mentioned in the conversation at my high school, so the
writer shouldn't draw a parallel between what the vocal minority of my
school was saying and what is a legitimate claim for the use of the drug.

I, as a vice president of my school's Young Democrats Club, dislike
agreeing with what a conservative-minded politician has to say, but I am
horrified that my school's newfound reputation as a school of drug addicts
is being reinforced by The News-Journal's increasingly unfair editorials.