Pubdate: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2005 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Note: Does not publish letters from outside its circulation area. Author: Larry Jensen Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1634/a10.html WHAT IS BEE SMOKING Re "Time to lower the boom on older drug users," editorial, Oct. 16: Is The Bee attempting to imply, as so many neo-prohibitionist propagandists have in the past, that pot is somehow as dangerous as heroin or cocaine? Or is this the old, long discredited "gateway drug" nonsense? Personally, I believe those over 40 are a little beyond "gateways" to anything but their backyards. If The Bee is so concerned about the personal choices of adults, how about a comparison between drug overdose deaths and alcohol-related deaths in the over-40 population? And while The Bee is at it, provide some statistics on deaths related to smoking pot. If you're going to pontificate, at least try to be relevant. Larry Jensen, Garden Valley - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake