Is the Zonker community inclined to overindulge in the product it champions - namely, marijuana? Seems so. That could explain the yawning gaps in Zonker logic - the apparent burnt spots in the medial temporal lobes from the pothead community's misfiring synapses.

The Zonker community takes its name from Zonker Harris, the cannabis-addled character in the Doonesbury comic strip. Talking up marijuana, Zonker's namesakes illogically say that since alcohol is legal, marijuana should be too.

Alcohol fuels crime, domestic abuse, deteriorating health, bankruptcy and highway carnage, to name just a few. So, heck, why not legalize marijuana along with it?

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I am a 90-year-old World War II veteran. When I was a teenager before the war, I began hearing of the dangers of marijuana. Now, many years later, I still read and hear about local, state and federal governments' efforts to eliminate or control marijuana - all of them unsuccessful.

However, in the Jan 10 issue of the Press, I read an oped by Sgt. Dominic Bucci, a retired 25-year veteran of the N.J. State Police on the subject of marijuana, "Legalize pot, put dealers out of business." Bucci suggested legalizing it, controlling its contents, taxing it and banning its use by those under 21 - just as we do with alcohol, tobacco and guns. He is right. It's time to admit that all our efforts to control the distribution and use of marijuana have failed. Why not try Bucci's suggestion?

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The politics of pot has struck the Democratic Party big time, and Bernie Sanders has taken the "HIGH" road. I admit, I wasn't trying to be suckered into voting for a politician simply because he says something positive about marijuana - as I did with Senator Obama in 2008. Back then, when Obama was questioned about whether he "ever inhaled," he responded, "that was the point." This question is asked of all serious politicians, because in 1992 President Clinton claimed that he did try smoking marijuana but he did not inhale, which made the question famous. Most Americans didn't believe his answer, potheads voted for him knowing he had to lie - most of us were in the cannabis closet too.

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As much marijuana as I admit to smoking almost daily. I still loudly proclaim to anyone I am not addicted to marijuana and, as far as I know, no one is; because marijuana is not addictive, but Facebook is. Ibogaine is a cure for addiction (period), it not only works on drugs like heroin, meth, cocaine but addictive behavior like gambling too from what I've been told. Some say it's the best cure for tobacco use as well.

Facebook has suspended my Facebook account for one week starting last Sunday 1/2/2016, and ending on Saturday 1/9/2016. I'm suffering big time cyber pains in Facebook jail. As you know I've been to real jail and in real jail people are there who are drug addicts and they suffer physically for lack of their substance it's called withdrawal. It's a horrible experience to be in a cell with a person suffering from withdrawal, the smells, and the dry heaves, the agony is horrible to witness. I admit to being highly addicted to Facebook and I'm going thru severe Facebook withdrawal right now, I'm not dry heaving or throwing up but......ugggh. As much marijuana as I admit to smoking almost daily. I still loudly proclaim to anyone I am not addicted to marijuana and as far as I know no-one is; because marijuana is not addictive but Facebook is.

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This is what I wrote in my first Column of 2015:

"2014 was a weird year for me, and good riddance.

I started out 2014 in the horrible Burlington County Jail and ended it as the writer of this weekly column for The Trentonian - yeah, that's weird! ... My new year's resolution(s): to eat better and to open a religious temple in Trenton that provides marijuana to its congregants."

Those were the resolutions I made for 2015; as I've gotten older, each year I've taken the age-old ritual of making New Year's resolutions more and more seriously. 2015 was just the first time it was so public.

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Initial reports of the burglary of a Madras, Ore. marijuana dispensary forced a check up on several local cannabis smoking friends.

With all present and accounted for, time allowed for an investigation about pot theft.

As legal cannabis dispensaries, many identified as medical marijuana outlets, dot the U.S. landscape in several states, it's understandable that stoners, under the influence, would hatch ideas about marijuana heists.

A universal joke involves alleged great Western World game changers conceived under hazed influence that sound cockamamie the morning after.

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The marijuana laws are the oldest Jim Crow laws still on the books. While many states across the country are changing their archaic laws - - decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana - New Jersey is still mired in Reefer Madness racism. And not just because our Governor, Chris Christie, is as opposed to marijuana legalization as former Alabama Governor George Wallace was to desegregation. I'm referring to last week's decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court in which it declined to hear a marijuana case that constitutionally challenged New Jersey's marijuana laws as being de jure/ de facto racist. Some, like myself, say they did take a look and decided to keep the Jim Crow marijuana laws intact.

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What was Assemblyman Reed Gusciora smoking?

That question immediately came to mind when we learned of his plans to introduce a bill next month that would legalize recreational marijuana in Atlantic City.

Gusciora, D-Mercer, says legalization would breathe new life into the struggling city, stimulating a new breed of gambler and making it an attractive destination for people from all over the U.S.

"I think people from across the country would come out here for vacations and take advantage of legalized recreational marijuana. No other casino offers this, not even Nevada, so this would be unique. It's a way for our casinos to say that we have a unique experience," Gusciora said.

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Incrementalism - at its best, devilish at its worst: I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I think people should understand what the state is doing: mass collection of DNA material.

Of course it's being touted by the state as a totally good thing.

The state and the DNA collecting corporations loudly point out that old criminal cases were solved using DNA, which is great. What they neglect to explain is how millions will have their genetic code for destruction collected also by the state.

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Last week Donald Trump once again lied. This time he said he saw thousands of Muslims in Jersey City celebrating 9/11 - which is a flatout lie that many others are now repeating. Can you say revisionist Christian history? I remember soon after 9/11, watching the events from my Riverfront State Prison cell's cable TV and seeing Palestinians in Gaza and Egyptians cheering Osama bin Laden's revenge attacks. Nothing like that happened in the USA or it would've been on TV, on someone's camera, and in the press. Local police would've responded to this, and it could've been on the front pages of national newspapers.I'm a newsjunkie; allI do is read, listen to, and watch news. A couple newspapers at the time actually printed that Israelis were arrested in New Jersey celebrating, but I'm sure Trump doesn't remember this. It doesn't fit the reality he wants to believe: http:// tinyurl.com/whathappenedisraelis

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Re: "Legalizing marijuana is not the answer" (Commentary, Nov. 25)

Diane Litterer, CEO and executive director of the New Jersey Prevention Network, makes the common mistake of assuming that marijuana prohibition reduces marijuana use.

The United States has almost double the lifetime rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana has been legally available for decades. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a catastrophic failure. If the goal is to subsidize violent drug cartels, marijuana prohibition is a grand success.

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TRENTON (AP) - Nearly double the number of people were arrested for marijuana possession in a year in New Jersey compared to 20 years ago, according to the latest figures available.

The change runs counter to the nationwide trend as public acceptance of marijuana use grows in the United States, leading generally to a decline in arrests.

Udi Ofer, executive director of New Jersey' ACLU chapter, said he's especially concerned by the numbers because studies show African-Americans are charged with simple possession three times as much as whites despite both groups having the same usage rates for the drug.

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Currently, New Jersey leaders are considering legalizing the sale and possession of marijuana in addition to permitting the cultivation of marijuana in a person's home.

The lessons being learned in Colorado make it clear that legalizing marijuana is a dangerous proposal that will negatively affect the health and wellness of New Jersey residents. Legalization of medical and recreational marijuana has caused youth to develop low perceptions of risk towards marijuana use. This is being exacerbated by the changing social acceptance and increased visibility and availability through open use by adults and older peers. States like Colorado, which have legalized medical and/or recreational marijuana use, have the highest rates of youth and adult marijuana use in the nation.

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Nationwide, the Numbers Have Dropped. Some Critics Point to a Crackdown Spurred by Governor.

As public acceptance of marijuana use grows in the United States, nationwide arrests for simple possession of pot have dropped in recent years. New Jersey is going in the opposite direction.

Marijuana arrests in the state jumped 10 percent in 2012 and 2013, according to the latest New Jersey State Police Uniform Crime Reports.

In fact, the 24,765 arrests made for possessing small amounts of marijuana in 2013 is the highest number in 20 years, and nearly double the amount in 1993, when the state's population was 12 percent less, based on state police statistics and an analysis by the ACLU of New Jersey. In the five years prior to 2013, arrests had hovered around 22,000.

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This past week has been a memorable week for me for several reasons, but talk of legalizing the substance I enjoy and which has caused the government to ruin me tops the list.

Senator Scutari held a public hearing at the state capitol to explore the issue of marijuana legalization, a precursor to his sponsored legalization bill. Scutari, who as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called the hearing and explained its purpose as "the first step" to introducing his bill (S1896) and "this is the natural next step - to talk about the benefits of legalization and the negative impact prohibition has had."

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TRENTON (AP) - New Jersey's Democratic-controlled Legislature took a step toward a showdown with Gov. Chris Christie over legalized marijuana on Monday.

A state Senate panel convened a hearing on legalizing the drug, and a leading Democratic lawmaker says it's time to bring it out of an underground economy by legalizing, taxing and regulating it.

"I believe our state should lead the way," Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari said. Scutari, who has authored a bill that would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana for people over 21, sketched a scenario in which the drug comes out of what he called a "black market" and gives way to a billion-dollar industry.

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Regarding the Nov. 16 article "Marijuana's in bloom in N.J.," why this headlong rush into legalizing recreational marijuana? The only answer that makes any sense is that legislators see a big pot (pardon the pun) of tax revenue. They are willing to put many of us at risk so that they can have a new source of money to spend.

They claim to be concerned about our health and that is why we've been subjected to countless warnings about the harmful effects of tobacco smoke for the last 40-plus years. Now, not a word about the harmful effects of marijuana smoke. Why? Health issues alone are enough to label the recreational use of marijuana as damaging to your health and should be avoided.

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Columnist L.A. Parker should blame drug prohibition for violence and death, not suburban drug users. Drug addiction is color-blind and impacts rural, suburban and urban areas. Drug prohibition fosters corruption and criminal activity; it's a cure worse than the disease. Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime by providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting.

The success of the Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance pilot projects in Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

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On Monday, the state Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a first-ever hearing for New Jersey on legalizing marijuana.

Can we just cut through all of the usual nonsense and legalize it once and for all?

It's going to happen, at some point. Medicinal marijuana is already in place in New Jersey - albeit grudgingly on Gov. Chris Christie's part. Public support for full legalization is growing; a summer Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll showed 49 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed.

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Recent heroin drug busts in Trenton underscored a standard relationship between drug dealer and drug addict.

The great truth regarding heroin sales shows that urban area drug problems are directly connected to suburban drug users.

One Trentonian photo in October highlighted this drug exchange theme as arrested city resident Jaishawn Mathis, who is black, faced heroin possession and distribution offenses.

Astonishment existed that Mathis, who had allegedly been shot a month before his arrest (nothing personal just part of street business), had stepped back out on the city's drug playing field. His determination highlights the grab for suburban dollars as those residents find heroin here then hustle back to their bedrooms and dens.

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