Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jul 2011
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2011 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559
Author: Michael J Dee
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n459/a06.html

THE RIGHT TO USE POT

Re "Happy 40th, Drug War" (Guest comment, by Jay Bergstrom, July
7):

If President Obama, NORML, the DEA and your reporters read the
Controlled Substance Act 1970, you would know there are three criteria
classifying drugs into five schedules. These criteria are: potential
for abuse, medicinal use and safety of use.

Safety of use determines medicinal use. Why is NORML claiming
medicinal use when marijuana is safe to use without medical
supervision? The issue is safety of use, not medicinal use.

Marijuana remains illegal because the Department of Justice willfully
deprives us of our individual rights to liberty, to property and to
privacy, under the color of law. Marijuana is arbitrarily classified
as a controlled substance and violates due process of law. The
proscription of marijuana is unreasonable and unnecessary regulation
of individual rights and contravenes the Fourth, Fifth and 14th
Amendments because the private use of marijuana does not impinge upon
the rights of others.

Who is the President of the United States afraid of, that he will not
defend individual rights protected by the Constitution? Is he afraid
of law enforcement? Or is the deprivation of rights all about money?

What is the press afraid of, to allow President Obama to say this
country is governed by the rule of law when the facts prove otherwise?

Michael J Dee

Windham, Maine
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.