Pubdate: Fri, 10 Jan 1997 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author: Paul Vignaud To the Editor: As regards the latest developments in the war against drugs and the decriminalization of Marijuana, I assert that some basic issues are being ignored, namely : If we go to the Bible, we find in Genesis (Chapter 1:29) that God says: "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of the entire Earth... to you it shall be as food." Secondly, on every note of American currency it is stated that "In God We Trust". Thirdly, in the Declaration of Independence, by which our forefathers stated that we are a nation, we find that we are apportioned by the same God the right to "...Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness..." Finally, (even putting aside for now the God-given right to the pursuit of happiness) we find in The Random House Dictionary that Liberty means (Def. 4) "Freedom from external control or interference, obligation, etc.; freedom to choose." In view of these facts, it seems to me that the prohibition against Marijuana, and the unreasoning oppression of the users of this substance, will continue until our government finds a way to direct potential tax revenues resulting from the decriminalization of this drug into the pockets of the lawyers, drug agents, and others presently involved in the suppression of our rights, who are making no small living as a result of their efforts. Paul Vignaud Sebastopol, CA