Benefits of marijuana ignored by U.S. but not other countries

By: Mrs. Jeanne Marie Black-Ferguson, The Battalion - (TX Edu), 06/23/03

In response to Timothy Gilbert's June 19 column:

The recent column subtitled, "America should follow Canada's planned decriminalization of marijuana" is informative but does not go nearly far enough to admonish the critics of this nation's current drug policy.

Since the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, the United States has been incarcerating its citizens for the possession and "manufacturing" of a plant that has for years been a mainstay of other countries.

When one looks through the hysteria of the risks associated with the Cannabis plant, one finds all kinds of beneficial uses, none of which get to see the light of day when compared to the single "drug" aspect of the plant.

Furthermore, real problems such as the environmental impacts that continue to occur because of our continuing dependence on petroleum-based products is ignored.

America has not been telling the truth about the benefits of the Cannabis plant for years now. And I ask you, how do we expect to be a nation of law-abiding citizens when the very leaders of this country themselves are often lawless?

A Grandma For Ganja

Mrs. Jeanne Marie Black-Ferguson