Letter To The Editor Source: San Francisco Chronicle Many are wondering why there is suddenly a power shortage in the Pacific Northwest "On the Grid or Off the Grid," Sunday, Feb. 25. The recent mysterious blackout in Trail, Ore., offers a clue. It's the grow-lights. Grow- lights use a lot of kilowatts, which just goes to show that a high number of people are growing kilos these days. The law and also wintertime have caused many to take their potted plants indoors, to avoid arrest and to keep their plants from dying. But while a pound of cure is apparently well worth the ounce of prevention, (more than its weight in gold), we all are paying the price, currently. Thus, I think we can nip this energy crisis in the bud by legalizing marijuana. In fact, legalizing marijuana will save all kinds of energy. Though I myself do not smoke it, I've never understood how a natural plant of the earth which God gave us can be decreed "illegal," permitting violent searches of people's homes, seizure of all their property, trial at taxpayer expense and then prison at taxpayer expense, where people are permitted to be brutalized and raped, even killed -- for what -- for growing plants. (Transcendental horticulture). So what if people grow marijuana? So what if they smoke it? So many do, criminalization of it has amounted to nothing more than an incredible waste of energy. Some suggest legalization of marijuana would result in joblessness for the police. This is just a smoke screen. In actuality, legalizing marijuana would put a lid on crime. By rightfully viewing marijuana from the same perspective as alcohol, we'd put more police on the streets and in the towns where they should be instead of traipsing around in the woods or flying about in planes and helicopters with ridiculous and costly marijuana-detection equipment. We'd save energy and our towns would become safer. Tickets could be issued for public smoking and intoxication, DUI, etc., generating funds for city coffers that could be used to offset high energy bills. We'd see new markets blossom and stimulate the economy: American produced hemp and hemp products; genetic research and engineering to enhance THC properties and plant growth in wan winter sunlight; special growing and harvesting equipment & supplies for home gardens, not to mention a highly awaited comeback of the corn cob pipe. Food and snack stocks would rise. Also, we'd see a more peaceful nation of people who laugh a lot more. Note how that is all positive energy. The grass really is greener on that other side. We need to carefully hash out these ideas. Meanwhile, if we are to solve this West Coast energy crisis, we must legalize marijuana and bring it out from under the grow-lights. Any way we look at it, legalizing marijuana will save energy. Patti Morey Ashland, Ore. Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author: Patti Morey Published: Sunday, March 11, 2001 Copyright: 2001 San Francisco Chronicle Address: 901 Mission St., San Francisco CA 94103 Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Forum: http://www.sfgate.com/conferences/ Feedback: http://www.sfgate.com/select.feedback.html