SEES IRONY IN LEGALITY OF ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO

Dear Editor,

Rod Blagojevich's recent admission, although Clintonesque in nature,
alluded to the same problem that many of the 75 million Americans
(especially politicians) who have tried marijuana seem to have: Either they
are ashamed to admit that they actually enjoyed it or they fear legal
repercussions.

This brings us to the real problem behind marijuana -- the illegality. It
is truly ironic that the two most deadly forms of dope, alcohol and
tobacco, are legal and can be bought at almost any family store in the
country and yet we have the federal government advocating the arrest and
incarceration of marijuana users who choose to use a drug that has never
caused one death due to its toxicity.

In a comparative analysis with alcohol and tobacco, which cause 500,000
Americans to die each year, I would venture to say that it is a no-brainer
as to which drug is safer.

George Atterberry, Oakford