Reason, rights should prevail

Personally, I think the field should be leveled between marijuana and other substances. I am not and do not plan to be involved in marijuana. But, I ask you, why shouldn’t one be the king of their castle (home) as long as their activities within their walls harm nobody else? After all, guns (with certain restrictions), air rifles, knives, bows and arrows, stocks of alcohol and gasoline, herbicides, and some common household products could be far more harmful in the extreme, yet the use and handling of these are left to personal judgment within the civilian population.

I am sure substance use is spread throughout our population, but does punishment of fines, imprisonment and property confiscation actually cut away at demand? Many of those who “use” are those who make bad choices that are stumbling blocks to success. And encouraging people to make better choices via punishments is about as successful as pushing a rope. Meanwhile, the people who continue to exercise their wills are driven deeper into the shadows where nastier temptations are presented.

I have to agree, in part, with Rep. Mary Helen Roberts on this. Our reactions toward “weed” were rooted in the excesses of a movement that began 50 years ago and has long-since waned. We are now caught up in a small issue made large by hysterical factions. I wish the lawmakers could hose down their views on this subject in the cold light of reason.

I proudly proclaim that I am a conservative, but I do not let that paint my rationale into a blind corner. Since hope and change are the emphasis of this administration, shouldn’t we apply it to this subject?

When this country was established, the main thrust of our freedoms was to put the government under the foot of its citizens, not the other way around. Let law enforcement emphasize their efforts toward weightier issues.

James R. Wheeler

Snohomish