The universal Bill of Rights guarantees all Americans their inalienable right to the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without any coercion from any individual or group in the 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 any person or group in a position of bearing false witness against their neighbor.

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 Board of Health was to publish their findings of the facts into law within 30 days of the communities conclusion. In 1978, the committee returned with the facts. They found that marijuana is a schedule ‘5’ drug.

The committee’s funding was withdrawn, effectively disbanding it, violating Oregonians’ right to due process of law, and letting the blatantly unconstitutional federal classification of marijuana as a schedule ‘1’ narcotic to continue to do great harm to the citizens of Oregon.

It’s time to sue the enemies of our Bill of Rights and the citizens of Idaho and make them prove in court, with the facts, that pot is a schedule ‘1’ narcotic. They cannot do it.

MICHAEL GEORGE JOYCE

Coeur d’Alene