Pubdate: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK) Copyright: 2000 The Anchorage Daily News Contact: http://www.adn.com/ Author: Vanessa Peters POT IS A RECREATION FOR MANY Where to start? Ten years ago I was about columnist Tess Forbush's age ("Smoking pot is a choice, one with consequences," April 5) and would no doubt have written an article much like the one she wrote. Her ability to still see things with black-and-white clarity certainly reminds me of a naivete I miss. I know it's practically pointless to tell a very young person anything about what the future might hold for them, but I'll give it a go. Some people have found on this particular issue that you can't trust all statistics and stories. Check your sources. Do they have anything (money/funding) to gain? Tess has no idea yet how many well-respected members of any given community actually use marijuana for recreation. There are smokers in law enforcement and smokers presiding over courts. There are smokers in the law-making bodies that keep it illegal. It's a hypocritical system that puts nonviolent pot smokers in prison where many horrible things can happen to them. Unless things have changed recently, I know the people of California voted to legalize medicinal marijuana use. I think Maine did too. There are also two governors who want to legalize all drugs (New Mexico and Minnesota). I could pick apart the article's "faulty logic," but this letter already looks too long. Vanessa Peters, Fort Richardson - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D