Let Ross Embry share his marijuana...

Let Ross Embry share his marijuana

I strongly support Ross Embry’s right to use the plant cannabis

(marijuana) for health reasons (“Laguna man pleads innocent to

marijuana charges,” Coastline Pilot, Oct. 18).

In the year 2002, it is mean spirited and sinful to cage humans

for using cannabis. At the very minimum, North America must

re-legalize cannabis, especially when you consider the worst side

effects of cannabis are police inflicted. Do cannabis prohibitionists

even comprehend that they’re admitting a desire to cage humans for

using a plant?

Instead of caging humans for using cannabis, thank God for

cannabis. Accept cannabis (known as kaneh bosm, before the King James

Version) for what it is as described on literally the very first page

of the Bible (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).

STAN WHITE

Dillon, Colo.

Yes, we, the undersigned, both agree that Embry should be allowed

to grow marijuana for friends living with HIV and AIDS. In fact,

isn’t this legal in California?

CHRISTOPHER LEASON

AL MOORE

Laguna Woods

* Editor’s note: According to the Compassionate Use Act of 1996

it is legal for patients to possess or cultivate marijuana for

personal medical purposes with written or oral recommendation or

approval of a physician.

Absolutely. He should be allowed to grow marijuana for himself and

friends living with HIV and AIDS.

MARILYN BYRON

Laguna Beach

An Oct. 18th article on the arrest of a Laguna Beach HIV patient

underscored the need for a state-level medical marijuana distribution

system. Marijuana prohibition itself should be subjected to a

cost-benefit analysis. Unfortunately, a review of marijuana

legislation would open up a Pandora’s box most politicians would just

as soon avoid.

America’s marijuana laws are based on culture and xenophobia, not

science. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican

migration during the early 1900’s, despite opposition from the

American Medical Assn. White Americans did not begin to smoke

marijuana until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began

funding reefer madness propaganda.

Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been

counterproductive at best. An estimated 38% of Americans have now

smoked pot. The reefer madness myths have long been discredited,

forcing the drug war gravy train to spend millions on politicized

research, trying to find harm in a relatively harmless plant.

California patients may be protected, but medical marijuana

providers aren’t. The very same federal government that claims

illicit drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients

into the hands of street dealers. Apparently federal marijuana laws

are more important than protecting the country from terrorism.

ROBERT SHARPE, M.P.A.

Program Officer

Drug Policy Alliance

Arlington, VA

I would like to add my vote for Ross and the legalization of

medical marijuana. I feel the government already controls too much of

our lives, and is preventing medical treatment from moving forward.

People are suffering and in some cases dying.

Please continue to keep this case visible. It is important.

SHANE BRUCE

Laguna Beach

Pearson, supporter of the ocean

Do you remember a character named McGruff the Crime Dog and his

admonition to “Take a Bite out of Crime?”

Can you recall another one named Smokey the Bear who warned that

“Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires?”

These characters and their credos are instantly familiar because

they were designed to reach us at school-age, when attitudes that

shape our lifelong behavior are still being formed. Their originators

sought long-term changes in the way Americans think and act on these

issues. And they knew that lasting social change begins in the hearts

and minds of kids.

Elizabeth Pearson knows this too, and is using the same strategy

to clean the ocean. Elizabeth started an organization that educates

school kids about urban run-off pollution in our region and how we

can end it. And coolest of all -- no one told her to do this.

I got to know Elizabeth because of her environmental volunteerism.

In my capacity as executive chairman of the Surfrider Foundation’s

Laguna Beach chapter I routinely ran into Elizabeth at functions

where elected officials and environmental advocates meet to explore

solutions. I learned from Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson and

other advocates and officials active in ocean conservation efforts

around the county that Elizabeth has spent years tackling our urban

run-off problems while others have only paid it lip-service.

Elizabeth is frequently credited with being the bridge between

often-opposing sides on environmental issues whose conflicts

otherwise delay progress in finding solutions. I have seen proof of

this in Elizabeth’s ability to foster cooperation between

conservationists and industry, and between inland communities and

beach cities.

The experience that truly clinched my loyalty to Elizabeth was

last January, when our Surfrider chapter offered the city of Laguna

Beach six-figure financial support for projects to reduce the risk of

sewage spills. All members of the City Council, including the

incumbents in this race, were informed of this in writing and via

face-to-face meetings. I excitedly told others, including Elizabeth,

about the lucrative private sponsorship we had secured.

A few days after speaking to Elizabeth I received an unexpected

call from her informing me that she had recruited additional donors

who wanted to contribute to what would be an unprecedented

public-private solution to Laguna Beach taxpayers’ most serious,

chronic problem. Unfortunately, after lauding our efforts and

promising their active assistance, no City Council members made the

calls or sent the messages on our behalf that they had promised, and

our sponsors eventually withdrew their offer for lack of response.

I am proud to endorse Elizabeth Pearson for Laguna Beach City

Council. I know that by giving her my vote, I am doing something

tangible to achieve a cleaner, safer ocean. I encourage everyone who

cares about the ocean to make that same tangible contribution to

solutions by voting for Elizabeth Pearson.

MARC W. WRIGHT

Laguna Beach

Stop the madness at crosswalk

Today I again witnessed speeding cars at Rosa Bonheur and Cliff

Drive, ignoring pedestrians trying to cross the street.

This in spite of the newly installed yellow pedestrian symbol

signs. These symbol signs, however well intentioned, fall far short

of the real need here. The real need is double stop signs here,

stopping traffic in both directions. Symbol signs such as these may

possibly be in the drivers’ consciousness as they pass by, but fail

to alert to the real element of the danger which exists when people

are in the crosswalk.

The pedestrians who use this crosswalk better not be lulled into a

feeling of security when they step off the curb in front of the

ever-speeding cars that travel this stretch of road because of these

new signs.

Why do the city traffic people continue to dance around this

problem? Your guess is as good as mine.

JIM KERR

Laguna Beach

Board should take name seriously

After attending the

board meeting of Oct. 8 and listening to the comments regarding

the possible high school mascot name change, I felt compelled to

write relative to your seemingly indifference and/or lack of interest

on the subject.

It reminded me very much of the Festival of Arts issue where a

small group of people desire to make changes with absolutely no

regard to tradition or heritage. A change in a tradition of this

magnitude deserves more serious thought than you or the school

administration have exhibited to date.

I, therefore, sincerely hope you will give this matter the

important consideration it deserves.

JOAN LINCOLN TIPPIE

Laguna Beach High School, Class of 1950

Artist not the only job in town

The occupational diversity of Laguna is no secret to those of us

who live here.

We can represent every conceivable skill, trade and profession on

the alphabetical chart, from airline pilot to Zen instructor. Yes,

there is a doctor in the house, but maybe not a snake charmer. And as

much as this makes for an interesting and colorful citizenry, it does

become a problem if we insist on naming the high school’s sports team

mascot after a specific commercial endeavor. That’s commerce, as in

“I provide a product or service and you pay me in trade or

greenbacks.”

I suppose one can argue quite convincingly in favor of the revenue

generated by the local art industry, versus the dollar tally of the

lucrative beach business until the whales swim by. If we must choose

a moniker based on work-related credentials, then may I suggest a new

category for consideration? Perhaps something in a soft yellow and

black beekeeper, or shades of green and brown for the gardening

crowd. At the very least, they seem to be a well-grounded lot who

don’t exhibit a telling lock-stepped political agenda. I can see it

in lights -- the “Laguna Swarm” or the “Diggers.” By what right does

a commercial special interest group have the authority to decree what

should be strictly high school business?

And, as to the suggestion by one of our own that the majority of

the student body suffers from some twisted malady approximating a

male inadequacy issue -- please, Herr Shrinkmeister -- have you no

sense of decency? To borrow a term from the professional lexicon,

beware of what you “project” with that Freudianesque insinuation.

It seems to me that the name chosen some 60-odd years ago (and

recently resurrected) is neutral, impersonal, noncommercial,

environmentally representative and perfect and “swell” with me. Alas,

some artists feel affronted, Chamber of Commerce members are

beginning to ring the collective hands and some alumni feel they are

being cast out. I only hope the “commercers,” art lobbyists and a few

wounded egos check their respective hand-held calculators, pointy

brushes and perceived school pride at the door.

Here’s to the Artist’s Theatre and the born-anew Breakers.

TED MOORE

Laguna Beach

Name change is a shame

Imagine my surprise as I listened to NPR a few weeks back and

heard the news that Laguna Beach High School had changed the mascot

from the Artists to the Breakers.

As an upstanding member of the class of ’79 (one of four

valedictorians that year), a student council member, and a graphic

artist who received scholarship money from the Festival of the Arts,

I was saddened to hear of the change. I love my alma mater and our

goofy mascot.

When I later learned the change was essentially motivated by

homophobia, I was outraged. I am also a lesbian, and when I think

about the incidence of teen suicide and the increased likelihood of

suicides and suicide attempts among gay/lesbian/bi/trans teenagers, I

wonder what kind of message we are sending to these kids at risk.

(Gays, lesbians, and bisexual youth attempt suicide at a rate two to

three times higher than their heterosexual peers -- see

www.healthyplace.com/

Communities/Gender/gayisok/

glbt_suicide.html and others for stats). If you are a

gay/lesbian/bi closeted or questioning student at LBHS, how does this

mascot change make you feel? Not great I would imagine and probably

threatened and certainly not safe. Adults need to set a better

example. Let’s rethink this one, please.

JOAN MANCUSO

Washington, D.C.

* Editor’s note: There is no evidence that the call for the

mascot change was motivated by homophobia.