Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2010 Michael Alvarado Contact: http://www.mercurynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Author: Michael Alvarado LEGAL MARIJUANA IS ABOUT CHOICE Louis R. "Skip" Miller's op-ed (Opinion, July 12) against marijuana legalization is antiquated, misleading and alarmist. In truth marijuana use is less dangerous than drinking beer and smoking cigarettes at the same time. There is no logical reason that some drugs like alcohol are legal while other drugs, like marijuana, are not. Legalizing and taxing marijuana and all illegal drugs makes great sense on many levels. In a free country each citizen should have the right to choose what risks we wish to expose ourselves too; it's called freedom of choice. Those who choose to use drugs will continue to do so regardless of legality. Keeping drugs illegal only further empowers the growing corrupting influence, violence and power of the drug cartels around the world and in our own neighborhoods. Michael Alvarado San Jose - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake