Our founders took a difficult oath when developing the universal ‘Bill of Rights’ as the philosophy of individual rights defines freedom, and the guarantee of individual rights stands in the path of all oppression. The universal ‘Bill of Rights’ guarantees all individuals their unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without any coercion from a majority or any group or person in a position of power. Without the guarantee of individual rights, a democracy is no more than mob rule.

When the guarantee of individual rights is applied to law it commands justice ‘by the facts,’ not the whim of a majority or any group or person in a position of power. In 1977 the Oregon legislature established the ‘Oregon Blue-Ribbon Committee on Controlled Substances.’ It was made up of doctors, lawyers, pharmacologist and law enforcement officials. Their job was to classify all drugs, according to their ‘actual’ hazard potential, using federal guidelines.

The committee returned in 1978 with its findings of the facts, in part, that marijuana is a schedule ‘5’ drug. Now is the time for the representatives or Idahoans to follow the science, and reject the blatant and cruel unconstitutional federal classification of marijuana as a schedule ‘1’ narcotic, along with the feds’ ‘case’ for violating the rights of Idahoans outlined in ‘Reefer Madness.’

This holiday season thousands of Idahoans will needlessly have to endure winter driving, fuel cost, and then pay taxes to surrounding states, to purchase a ‘legal’ schedule ‘5’ drug?

MIKE JOYCE

Coeur d’Alene