Marijuana story shows the truth

6/6/2013

I thank The Blade for its fairly reasonable article about marijuana (“Going to pot: Michigan’s law boosts marijuana’s legitimacy; Substance’s acceptance grows with medical use,” May 26).

Times and attitudes have changed, and most people are aware of the many uses and anti-cancer properties of cannabis. It is far from the dangerous drug that masked men in SWAT gear and misguided anti-drug individuals claim it to be.

Legalizing, regulating, and taxing the production and distribution of marijuana are the best tools we have to help younger Americans make the right choice. Trying to program our progeny with lies and inaccurate information only backfires when they discover the truth, and causes far more harm than good.

Decades ago, one could forgive the ignorance of the anti-drug miscreants. But with today’s technology and the abundance and instantaneous availability of information, one can only view them as pathetic individuals who are unwilling to admit failure or defeat.

JIM WHITE
Oregon

Lawyers at root of problems

Your May 27 article “Retired judge, 3 lawyers make the case for mediation service” says that a retired judge “saw his share of lawsuits that have dragged on far too long at far too great a cost.” It is my experience that that is the result of lawyers’ involvement.

Lawyers can be the problem, not the solution.

BILL KUSIAN
Oregon

War on terror fuels attacks

Former President George W. Bush’s war on terror has become never-ending. The recent Boston bombings teach us that what motivated the bombers was a sense of outrage over our terror wars (“Suspect says U.S. wars drove pair to bombings; Tsarnaev: No foreign militant groups involved,” April 24).

Killing with drones and the deaths of innocent Iraqis and Afghans will fuel never-ending hatred of America. Our military hubris will either bankrupt us or involve our sons and daughters in increasingly dangerous foreign military adventures.

PAUL WOHLFARTH
Ottawa Lake, Mich.

Bombs vs. guns as mass destroyers

Why were the bombs that killed three persons at the Boston Marathon considered weapons of mass destruction, while the gun that killed 26 people in Connecticut last December is not?

JUDY WILLCOX
Perrysburg Township