CONVICTION BRINGS OUT THE TRUTH; MARIJUANA WAS NOT MURDER CAUSE

Thankfully, the truth finally makes it into print, more than two
years after the fact ("Murder draws 99-year sentence," March 13).
Colin Cotting was not "too stoned on marijuana to remember" when he
murdered his stepmother in October 2004. Tests done when he was
arrested were negative for drugs, including marijuana. However,
that's not what we were given to believe at the time.

Many readers will recall that this incident occurred less than two
weeks before the 2004 general election, in which one of the most
hotly debated issues was Ballot Measure 2 to eliminate criminal
penalties for possession of marijuana by adults in Alaska. Cotting's
claim of marijuana impairment was widely and uncritically reported in
the news media, despite the absence of any physical evidence to
support it. Would Ballot Measure 2 have passed had the media been
more circumspect in reporting this claim? We'll never know. Will
exoneration of marijuana in this case serve to remind folks of the
undisputed medical consensus that marijuana use does not cause
violent criminal behavior? We can only hope so. But unfortunately,
sober scientific analysis doesn't make as good press as the
sensational, self-serving claims of a psychopath.

- Tim Hinterberger

Anchorage