This is in response to the letter from Glenn Peterson, printed Aug. 19. I was very pleased to see the Sun Journal print such an open letter on the benefits of marijuana.

The ban on marijuana is very similar to the days when alcohol was prohibited. Today, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are two of society’s biggest problems, yet legal.

Isn’t that a double standard?

Pot is a natural plant, created by the same God that made oranges, apples, corn, tobacco, etc.

I laugh at all the hoopla (government propaganda) about pot. It is a cash cow for the DEA and local police, and is a valuable asset in their confiscation laws. They should put that effort into halting child pornography, pedophiles, corrupt government officials and the corporate crimes that have decimated the nation’s economy. America would be a better place to live.

Marijuana is not a violence-inducing drug as is alcohol, and has no chemicals added to it to encourage the addiction that cigarettes cause. Pot does not cause the driving accidents that alcohol can create, either.

People like myself are afraid to speak out in favor of marijuana for fear of persecution and social recrimination, so I applaud Peterson and his letter.

Walter Preble III, Windham

Editor’s note: Walter Preble III of Fryeburg is currently serving time at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham on a marijuana trafficking charge.