In response to George Deutsch’s March 7 column:
At a time when America was under high alert for terrorism, Attorney General John Ashcroft was on a marijuana jihad, squandering Department of Justice resources on a nationwide hunt for bongs.
With marijuana decriminalization on the horizon in neighboring Canada, the United States may soon be one the few Western countries that uses its criminal justice system to punish otherwise law-abiding citizens who prefer marijuana to martinis.
Ashcroft’s reefer madness is best exemplified by the federal government’s paramilitary raids on voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California.
The very same attorney general who claims illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the hands of street dealers. Apparently, marijuana prohibition is more important than protecting the country from terrorism.
Students who want to help end the intergenerational culture war otherwise known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at www.ssdp.org.
Thank you for your consideration.
Robert Sharpe
MPA Program Officer
Drug Policy Alliance