MARIJUANA NOT SO HARMFUL

I'm writing to urge you to keep bringing up the issue of how the drug
war against marijuana users is causing more damage than it is helping
our society.

Marijuana causes less harm to both individuals and society than
alcohol or tobacco - and yet responsible adult drinkers and smokers
are not punished by the state in any way. Responsible marijuana users
should be treated the same way, especially those who have medical
issues that could benefit greatly from the use of marijuana. They
should not be treated as criminals anymore than responsible drinkers
are.

Our state government should use tax money to prosecute violent crime,
not punish marijuana users. Incarceration of nonviolent individuals
not only wastes taxpayer money, it overcrowds prisons so much that
violent criminals are often allowed to go free when they are eligible
for parole.

Without a legal, regulated market for marijuana, drug dealers have no
reason not to target children or to sell contaminated and dangerous
samples. If marijuana were treated more like alcohol, for example,
children would have a harder time obtaining it.

Worst of all, cancer and AIDS patients who use medical marijuana with
their doctor's approval are subject to all of these state penalties
for marijuana.

LESLIE REYES

Clatskanie