Factual errors plague Roberts' column about legalized marijuana use

I am writing this little note after reading an article in your paper by Kristen Roberts, titled, "Arizona must reconsider faulty drug initiative (Thursday)." Now for being a fully accredited college newspaper I would really expect a little more than this. This had to be one of the most uninformative article that I've ever read. Not only that, but Ms. Roberts consistently misquotes facts and prints all-out lies in her column. She says the initiative makes it easier "to abuse this potentially deadly drug". Potentially Deadly?!? Now maybe being in the news media you're more informed than I, but I've never heard of anyone's death being even remotely linked to any marijuana use, but please feel free to tell me anything you have relating to this.

Also, Ms. Roberts refers to marijuana numerous times as a "observably dangerous and largely untested substance." Now this is a bald-faced lie. Marijuana is probably one of the most highly documented and easily the most natural of ANY drugs.

Hemp has existed on this planet since nearly the beginning of time, and everyone has tested it, even the U.S. government. Now being a columnist I'm sure that you knew that the United States at one time had marijuana a legal substance in this country and you know the primary reason it was put on prohibition is because the Congress felt "marijuana put colored people out of their minds, and make them consort with white women." What reasoning, huh, almost as bad as those seedy "drug-legalization advocates."

"There are risks in what we know and risks in what we don't know," to quote Ms. Roberts, but you know what, I think that that's an acceptable risk, and it's really my own damn business if I want to go kill myself, I mean, hey, I'm doing it every time I light up a cigarette, I might at least get a nice feeling out of it, instead of planted nicotine to keep me addicted.

By Seth Merritt (letter)
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 1, 1997