(Editor's Note: These are the last letters to the editor we will be
printing from Internet readers of The Dispatch in other states that respond
to Lamar Moore's guest column.)

'LUDICROUS STATEMENT'

Editor: Guest columnist Lamar Moore makes this ludicrous statement: "It is
estimated the drug user can give society no more than one to two years work
before he becomes a drone." If he expects to be taken seriously, he will
need to make at least some sense.

Consider the evil and hated marijuana smoker. I'm sure Mr. Moore
thinks those who have tried (and continue to use) the evil weed are
mostly drones and can't function in society. Anyone in the real world,
who is not dependent on "legal" drug money, knows Moore is just
another religious fanatic who wants to control society and, of course,
to do it in his own benevolent way.

He believes Prohibition 1 was a good idea, the law just wasn't tough
enough, and to "save society," we just need a more draconian society.

Dan Scupin

Destin, Fla.

DON'T PROHIBIT CANNABIS

Editor: Lamar Moore's Jan. 15 column assertion that the drug war must
continue, for its economic implications, misses the boat! America spent
nearly a trillion dollars in its planetary war on some plants and drugs,
with hardly anything to show for it. Prohibitionists refer to cannabis as a
drug and include the wrath of the devil to those who accept it.

This sends a confusing message to youth that cannabis is evil, which
couldn't be further from the truth. The Truth of Christ God is
explicit: As a Christian, it is a sin to cage sick humans for using
cannabis. Thank Christ God for cannabis. Accept cannabis (also known
as kaneh bosm, before the King James Version) for what it is as
described on the very first page (Gen. 1:11-12 & 29-30).

It was discomforting witnessing my 16-year-old dying with cancer,
allowed to self-induce morphine every six minutes for pain, denied
cannabis use. What would Jesus do? He chose to break the law in order
to heal the sick. Cannabis has an awesome safety record. In fact, in
1989, DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young concluded not only
that marijuana's medical usefulness had been adequately demonstrated,
but that the plant had been shown to be "one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known to man."

The crime of the century has to be the prohibition of hemp and
cannabis. American politicians should stop spending other people's
money to cage humans for accepting cannabis.

Stan White

Dillon, Colo.

A FUNNY RATIONALIZATION

Editor: Lamar Moore's Jan. 15 column has to be one of the funnier
rationalizations I have ever seen to support prohibition of various substances.

Number one, the laws prohibiting various substances were rooted in
racist, xenophobic tendencies. The positive effects Moore outlines
were brought about in large part by labeling requirements, not
prohibitionist policies. Proper labeling reduced accidental addiction
a great deal before the Harrison Act was passed.

Number two, he lumps all drugs together in declaring that drug users
cannot be productive for more than one or two years. Not to mention
concluding our government has come to a rational drug policy decision
concerning alcohol. Where does he get these false facts from? His wish
list? His imagination? There is no evidence marijuana or heroin so
incapacitate an individual.

Crack and methamphetamines may be different for some, yet the evidence
shows the vast majority of users of cocaine use the drug moderately,
not chronically.

I have a list of every major study of drug policy done in the past 50
years. They all recommend decriminalization. We could simply follow
the scholarly advice. Couldn't we? I guess we are not ready yet.

Moore could use a tad of study at the library, starting with
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm

Matthew Hulett

Short Hills, N.J.

DRACONIAN DRUG LAWS

Editor: Lamar Moore's column seems well intentioned but it's short on
common sense. True, the down side of hard drugs is scary. However, the
overwhelming majority of the 40 or 50 million estimated drug users stay
with marijuana or dabble very lightly in harsher terrain. Most aren't
addicted and cause no trouble for society.

The draconian drug laws, however, are more economically detrimental to
society than the things they try to control. Little old ladies with
cancer take morphine and continue to function just fine. It's the
outlaw concept of drug use that causes the violence and destruction we
all fear.

The falsely inflated prices are good for organized crime, greedy
police departments, drug dealers and politicians. Unfortunately, they
lead to uncontrollable corruption. There is no end to this problem,
and no hope, until we medicalize it and disband the DEA and all
criminal sanctions.

Also, there was no real problem with drugs at the turn of the century;
opiates were the only pain-killers available. What abuse there was was
hardly noticed by society. Addicts were seen as pitiful examples of
humanity. Not the local dealers with big cars and fast women that
inner-city youth look up to today. What the drug war has done is give
every new fad drug free publicity.

Given the choice, I prefer to put up with the problems of too much
freedom, than to fear the government's attempts to take it away. I
thought we were the land of the free. Funny thing about freedom is you
can't have it yourself without granting it to others. More education
is the key, not shortsighted political grandstanding.

Doug Johnson

Stockton, Calif.