cannabisnews.com: Legalization of Pot is a Matter of Privacy 





Legalization of Pot is a Matter of Privacy 
Posted by FoM on June 20, 2000 at 07:34:27 PT
Letters To The Editor
Source: Seattle Times
Legalization of Pot is a Matter of Privacy To This Moderate Voter:I was pleased to see the state Democratic Party adopted a platform supporting legalizing marijuana, and sincerely hope elected Democrats start introducing legislation to further this goal. I was disappointed by your editorial ("Democrats' pot plan," June 16) criticizing this common-sense move. 
You suggest that this position will "alienate moderate, sensible suburban voters." I am a moderate, sensible suburban voter, and am willing to vote for and contribute money to any candidate from any party who will take a position against this modern-era prohibition. You accuse the Democrats of pandering to a "fringe element" of the party, but I don't even know anyone who supports the laws prohibiting private marijuana use. You also complain that this position makes it harder for parents, who are trying to "keep kids away from drugs of all kinds." This is ridiculous. Society really doesn't have to lock up my fellow citizens to help me raise my children. I would hope that I could tell my children about marijuana and still live in a free society. I can't imagine voters will be alienated by a position which declares that government has no role regulating innocent, private activities of our citizens. Ken Friedman, Edmonds Tell Truth, Let People Choose: What confuses young people is not the proposed decriminalization of marijuana, but the arbitrary way we classify substances as legal or illegal, hazardous or safe. We label marijuana "dangerous" while far more toxic drugs are perfectly lawful. Just a drop of nicotine in an adult's bloodstream can kill, and smoking poses well-known health risks. Alcohol destroys countless lives. Many narcotics and sedatives available through the pharmacy are more addictive than street drugs. A sensible policy is one that tells the truth about a substance's health risks, allows people to make informed choices - and reserves prisons for those who commit actual crimes, not those who occasionally choose to take in their recreational substances through a joint instead of a martini glass. Diana LaRose, Issaquah LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: We like to hear from readers. Please include your full name, address and telephone number in your e-mail and regular mail for verification. Letters become the property of The Times and may be edited and condensed for publication. We prefer short letters, preferably 250 words or less. Due to the volume of letters we receive, only a small percentage can be published and we are unable to respond to inquiries regarding their status. Send Letters To: Letters Editor, The Times P.O. Box 70, Seattle WA 98111 or fax to 206-382-6760Our e-mail address is: opinion seatimes.com Published: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 Copyright © 2000 The Seattle Times Company Related Articles:Legalizing Pot Would Be Less Harmful Than The Ban http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6093.shtmlDemocrats' Pot Plan http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6075.shtml Democrats Take Big Step to Left in Their Platform http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6023.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by michael anthony cart on August 06, 2001 at 19:12:00 PT:
legalizing pot
i am a hard working man i have never been in trouble i think that making pot legal would be great for the war against drugs because all the hardcore drug dealers hide behind the pot sellers if you legalize a drug that you can't overdose on you would not be loosing the war on drugs you would be taking a big step forward because then all you would have left is down right drug dealers. all would be left is cocaine,herroine,and etc. and those are drugs that kill.how many people do you know are heard of on the news that kill someone because he was fiending for pot i would like to know because i haven't. and what is so wrong with smoking pot alcohol has a worser effect on you then pot when you drink alot of alchol you get to the point you don't even know your own name and i have been smoking pot since twelve years old and i have never been laid out in the streets or didn't know my own name. 
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