Your story mentioned that A 16-YEAR-old girl from Washington State had been charged with intending to smuggle Canadian marijuana across the border into the U.S. Imagine the devastation that will befall the girl's family if the prosecutor has his way. She may be incarcerated until she is 21 because of a drug that is likely to cause no other harm than fits of laughter and mindless cravings for junk food. Canada should be commended, not criticized, for its steps toward decriminalizing marijuana. America's current marijuana policy is paranoid, stubborn and cruel.

Benjamin Selman

Cambridge, Mass.

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