END REEFER MADNESS

Thanks for publishing Paul Dougan's outstanding letter, "Pot war on
minorities" (letters, March 8). The former Commissioner of Narcotics
Harry Anslinger testified before the U. S. Congress in 1937: "There
are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes,
Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and
swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to
seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."

That quote was from 1937.

If anything, marijuana prohibition has been very successful in
promoting the use of marijuana. The U.S. government estimates that at
least 95 million Americans have used marijuana. It also estimates that
nearly half of all high school students will use marijuana before they
graduate. The lure of the "forbidden fruit" is very
powerful-especially for children.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.