RIDICULOUS STEREOTYPES

I am glad to see the tone of discussion around marijuana becoming more
reasonable ["Pot Shots," Oct. 18, City Weekly]. I don't necessarily think
pot is good for anyone, and I agree that the government should try to
reduce drug use. However, I don't think arrests and jail are a good idea;
they have a much worse effect on someone's life than the drug does in the
first place. There are a few comments I would like to make about the article:

The stereotypes in the article are appallingly bad. I don't mean to be
insulting here, but to use three high school dropouts as your group of pot
smokers is the government's propaganda machine's wet dream. Most people I
have talked to about this issue didn't start until they were in college.
How about including some businessmen and professionals in your next
article? How about some information on Sir Paul McCartney's, Al Gore's and
Carl Sagan's use of marijuana? There simply is no such thing as a "typical"
marijuana user...please don't reinforce the ridiculous stereotypes.

Please do more to expose the government's propaganda campaign. They haven't
incorporated any new, unbiased scientific study since marijuana was made
illegal in the '30s.

Because of marijuana's schedule I status, the government must approve all
scientific studies. The only studies they allow must agree ahead of time to
have a negative result. Several high-profile studies over the years, an
early one by New York Mayor LaGuardia, by the Nixon administration and most
recently by the World Health Organization, have been completely ignored by
our government because they recommended decriminalization of marijuana.

There are many disturbing examples of the government's anti-marijuana
propaganda campaign. First, our government will claim that marijuana causes
brain damage. The study that "proves" this was done by giving a monkey 63
joints in five minutes. The brain damage was caused by suffocation, not
THC. Second, the government funded a study by the Medical College of
Virginia, expecting to find immunicological problems from cannabis smoke.
When it was found to reduce the size of cancerous tumors in mice, the
government canceled the study; and has refused to fund any further
research. Third, our government has spent millions to genetically engineer
a fungus to kill marijuana, regardless of the potential environmental
consequences; for example, what if it mutated and started killing corn plants?

Thanks for the thought-provoking article.

- -Mark Lehrer, Salt Lake City