cannabisnews.com: Pot a Matter of Privacy Pot a Matter of Privacy Posted by FoM on November 19, 2000 at 08:38:10 PT By Denise Van Dam Source: Anchorage Daily News The letters to the editor and the commercials on TV during the campaign would have had you believe that people supporting the legalization of hemp would distribute it to children and allow people to use it on the job. Alcohol and cigarettes are both legal and I have never heard of any distribution programs at the local schools. There are laws and company policies which restrict the use of these legal substances. I am a person who believes strongly in privacy and individuals' rights. What adults choose to do to themselves is their business as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. Why is it that society feels that drugs with as many detrimental effects as alcohol and cigarettes should be legal and marijuana should be illegal? Is this not a violation of people's constitutional equality? People, educate yourselves on marijuana by reading the government commissioned Warren Report, the Shafer Commission report, the 1982 studies by the IOM and the WHO, and the 1976 Marijuana and Health Report, just to mention a few. Many of these reports have concluded that arresting and incarcerating the young is more harmful to them than marijuana use. Read "Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts" by Lynn Zimmer, Ph.D. and John P. Morgan, M.D. Laws are made to protect us from others. What we choose to do to ourselves should be governed only by ourselves. Even God gave me the freedom to choose for myself. -- Denise Van Dam Anchorage Are Morals Worth Money? In response to "We'll pay for hemp vote" (Letters, Nov. 10): I agree that people are going to smoke marijuana regardless, but how does that make it OK? I am not sure which plant Jerika Ezell has been living under, but all this fuss about legalizing hemp and marijuana in Alaska is false. Federal law says marijuana is illegal and we as a state cannot go above that. The only thing Proposition 5 would have done is decriminalize marijuana. So it would still be illegal in the eyes of the law, but we just wouldn't do anything about it. What kind of message would that send? Does Jerika also realize that if Proposition 5 had been approved, the federal government would have taken away our funding for whatever it felt necessary? Probably those streets she wanted to fix. I would like to hear her concerns then. Sure, there are other problems we face, but that doesn't make an illegal drug any less of one. So my question to her is this: Exactly when did we decide to lose our morals in order to save money? -- Jena-Lee Wright Anchorage Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK) Published: November 17 & 18, 2000Copyright: 2000 The Anchorage Daily News Contact: letters adn.com Website: http://www.adn.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:Free Hemp in Alaskahttp://www.freehempinak.orgHemp 2000http://www.hemp2000.org Wisdom Stopped Prop. 5 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7635.shtmlProponents' Greed Brought Hemp, Tax Cap Downhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7613.shtmlPot Fans Spottyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7610.shtmlVoters Dump Pot Proposition 2-to-1http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7603.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by freedom fighter on November 22, 2000 at 17:07:53 PT Only reason prop. 5 failed is becuz the Alaskans think that those who did crime hafta pay their price. They did not want them free. It was sad when you meet folks who say,"Do a crime, pay the price!"Hey, Smokeless in Seattle, like if I cared what you put in your mouth, Alaskans will get another ballot going in two years. This time it will be well written. They will legalize the cannabis! I smoke and I do not want you to care about what I put in my mouth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Treelo on November 20, 2000 at 13:50:58 PT failed the vote It seems that more than poorly written Prop 5 was overreaching in its requiring resitution.. Some people have warmed to the idea that smoking cannabis is NOT harmful to society in general. I don't think they're ready to retract the sentences or pay for damages (the more cynical would be forced to see some dark twist to that part). Take resitution and pardon out, and Alaska will be back to legal pot soon enough. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by curendero on November 20, 2000 at 08:49:11 PT: Poorly written law From what I understand, prop. 5 was poorly written. That as usual seems to be the basis for voter rejection. I believe you will see another prop in two years that will pass muster with the Alaskan voters. As here in California, prop 215 passed, Prop 36 passed, and measure G passed. While not the best worded in all senses, these laws were written vague enough to pass with voters on both sides of the moral coin. Most of all, they made tax saving sense. My morality is not the same as yours, or hers, or his, whatever... Fact is the Feds use fuduciary extortion to control and erode many aspects of individual states' rights. Why do we have to bow to the feds and conform to a national standard of morality, just to get a sliver of the money back from Washington. It is our money anyway. The tide is turning. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by dddd on November 20, 2000 at 05:15:24 PT Morals? It always seems weird to hear someone like Ms. Lee-Wright make some sort of connection between morals,and marijuana.She is one of the millions of brainwashed people who have bought into the shallow notion that illegal = evil. Beware of anyone who uses the term "morals".They are quite often the same people who will try and tell you that God will fry your ass in hell if you dont subscribe to their concept of religiously correct behavior....dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Smokeless in Seattle on November 20, 2000 at 03:34:38 PT Judge not, lest ye be judged Everyone, right wrong or indifferent, is entitled to thier considered opinion in a free society. The Alaskan voters said NO and we must respect the will of the people. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Ed Carpenter on November 20, 2000 at 02:15:55 PT: Pot "Federal law says marijuana is illegal and we as a state cannot go above that."Jena, the federal government has no Constitutional authority to ban marijuana. Look to the 10th amendment. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by michael on November 19, 2000 at 12:19:58 PT: moral police? Jena. Who made you the supreme commander in charge of what is moral, and what is not. Idiots all!!!!!! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: