John Morgan makes his living with persuasive talk. When he adds millions from his own pocket, the jury - in this case the voting public - is expected to be attentive.

Are there patients in need of marijuana's health benefits? Yes, and I am in total support; in fact, we all are. However, this has never been the question. Unfortunately, it is also quite a different venue when George Soros put in his "two cents."

Will the November elections cloud our living with new recreational freedoms, and if so, how does that comport with our "just say no" advice or with maintaining highway safety? How has recreational use affected Colorado highways?

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It seems to be assumed that our politicians are scared to legalise drugs not out of conviction but for fear of the Daily Mail effect.

Has it not occurred to them that the party which defies the Mail (and of course the USA) will quickly become lauded as wise and forward-looking when it dawns on people that crime has fallen, the prisons are short of inmates, public expenditure has been considerably reduced, and there has been little or no effect on drug-taking? Or perhaps they really are just addicted to failure.

Jim Bowman, South Harrow, Middlesex

[end]

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a preventative program for youths that began in Los Angeles in 1983. The program is currently established in more than forty countries and continues to expand.

It is brought to our schools by the RCMP and presented to students in grades 5 & 6 in an educational approach, designed to help kids recognize and resist pressures to experiment in some risky behaviours. It has been considered as preparation for entry into high school, a period during which they will most likely be exposed to tobacco, alcohol and drug use among peers.

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