This is in response to the article “Religious freedom at center of pot case,” printed Jan. 24.

Arresting nonviolent people for making a safer health choice, cannabis, compared to other medicinal/social drugs is scandalous reefer madness. Marijuana is less addicting than caffeine and has never alone caused a death.

Taking children from the homes of parents who made a safer health choice in a medicinal or recreational drug is insane policy. Taking property from these same, destroyed-by-government families, is legalized extortion. This is a bigger scandal than sex in the Oval Office.

According to information available on the Web, marijuana medicines were once the drugs of choice in the United States, until they were declared illegal. They had been used for 100 specific medical problems through the use of about 30 prescription medicines.

The tobacco, alcohol and prescription drug gangs cause more deaths annually than all illicit drugs.

The nation’s political leaders need to end the worst public policy since slavery. Murderers and violent sexual predators roam free while officials police nonviolent social, medicinal and religious drug use. That is not the best use of limited resources.

Get tough on violent crime, truly make neighborhoods and children safer. People want a better drug policy. They want a commander-in-chief of peace. They have had enough of servants of tyranny and oppression.

Colleen McCool, Stephenville, Texas