LETTERS OF THE DAY: MUSINGS ON MARIJUANA AND DRUG ADDICTION

Editor, The News:

I too am appalled by society's acceptance of drug-related crime, as
outlined by letter writer Erika Leclair ('Not tolerant of drug abuse,'
Viewpoint, Feb. 21).

Leclair was assaulted and she is right to call it a ridiculous paradox. To
my eyes, the paradox exists because of the decades-old superstitions and
moral posturing that have defined the drug war.

In a world where these currently illegal drugs could be made available for
adult use under strictly controlled and regulated means, assaults
for drug money will become a rarity.

Dean Becker,
Houston, Tex.

Editor, The News:

I am sorry for Erika LeClair's victimization, but her characterization of
it was the voice of either shock, ignorance or prejudice. Drug addiction is
a condition about which we still know very little, but even the
fundamentalist American government calls it a "brain disease."

Like alcoholism, it strikes both good people and bad, mostly good. Would
Erika have written the same thing about alcoholics if her assailant had
been a drinker? I doubt it.

If Erika gave it a little thought, perhaps she would realize that if this
addict (and that is quite a broad term, undefined in her letter) had access
to a cheap, regulated supply of the substance his body demands, she would
not have been victimized.

Dave Michon,
Eau Claire, Wisc.

Editor, The News:

A Feb. 16 article on the marijuana debate began with the question why is
marijuana illegal ('Much heat, little light at marijuana meeting,' A8).

Marijuana's illegality has nothing to do with health outcomes. Like any
drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but arrests and jail sentences
are hardly appropriate health interventions. After all, diet is the number
on determinant of health outcomes.

Do we really want the government monitoring everything that goes into our
bodies? And if it is the proper role of government to punish citizens for
unhealthy choices, why target marijuana?

Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death,
nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco.

Robert Sharpe,
Program officer Drug Policy Alliance
Washington, D.C.

Editor, The News:

Re: John Fulford's letter of Feb. 19 ('So-called drug expert had so-called
facts,' Opinion). Why is the Abbotsford News so intent on keeping censored
the strong arguments against total marijuana legalization?

A newspaper must be vigilant at all times to avoid temptation towards such
corruption of profession. Having said that, the way the social trend is
currently flowing, pro-pot-legalization/decriminalization activists should
take comfort: The current mentality of many Canadian court judges is
quickly directing our society towards such legalization or, at the very
least, decriminalization.

'Along with its legalization/decriminalization, I, an ex-pot-head, believe
that common sense, along with some studies, dictates that its consumption
will proliferate.

Note the great increase in alcohol abuse following the abolishment of
alcohol prohibition earlier this century.

Frank G. Sterle, Jr.,
White Rock