Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jul 2002
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: David T. Wilkinson
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1184/a07.html?1195
Note: Parenthetical remark provided by the Sun editor; headline provided by 
Newshawk

COMPARING WHISKEY AND MARIJUANA

THE EDITOR'S practice of getting in the last word on letter-writers is 
arrogant and unfair. Why not just let people make their own points, instead 
of playing Big Brother Editor?

As for Alan Randell's "unworkable analogy" between Rice Krispies and 
marijuana, how about this: Any adult can buy a fifth of fine Canadian 
whiskey. To drink the entire contents (or even half in some cases) would 
cause a potentially fatal overdose. It happens to thousands of people every 
year.

There is no practical fatal dose of marijuana, nor is it associated with 
millions of highway deaths and incidents of domestic violence. This does 
not meet the most basic standards of equal protection before the law.

When you consider that millions of people regard cannabis (sacred to Hindus 
and Rastafarians as "ganja"), central to their spirituality, and millions 
more depend on cannabis for their very survival, analogies to the Taliban 
and Nazis become quite workable.

Please let my statement stand. Your readers are capable of understanding 
opinion without Big Brother Editor's power-grabbing spin.

David T. Wilkinson

Plymouth, MA

(We'd say most of your arguments make sense, so why are you leaping to 
defend one that is an incredible stretch? We'd think you'd have the most to 
lose from tolerating fatuous logic)
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MAP posted-by: Alex