Readers React: No, Bernie Sanders isn’t ‘smoking something’ for talking about marijuana arrests

A recent column in The Times on the subject of marijuana – the great mellower of minds, healer of myriad maladies – has left some of our letter writers indignant.

George Skelton’s column on Thursday led off with a fact-check of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, who suggested that marijuana arrests in California stand between teenagers and jobs. Skelton would have none of it, dismissing the notion that anyone gets arrested for smoking pot in California anymore and referring to medical marijuana as “so-called medicine.” He wondered if Sanders was “smoking something.”

Readers would have none of Skelton’s criticisms. About a dozen wrote letters strongly disagreeing with him on marijuana and Sanders; here are some of those responses.

Myriam Soler of Los Angeles bristles at Skelton’s dismissal of concerns regarding marijuana arrests:

No, Mr. Skelton, Sanders is definitely not high on anything.

About four years ago my son was pulled over, and when police found marijuana in his car, he was arrested and spent the night in a cell even though he had a medical prescription. He was let go the next day.

This happened in California. So when you say, with enormous self-righteousness, that “no one in California gets arrested for toking weed,” you sound like you’re high on something.

Redondo Beach resident Joe Galliani takes a sarcastic swipe at Skelton:

Lots of newspapers would be too timid to offer Skelton’s biting satire and edgy theater of the absurd, but not whoever owns The Times this week.

No one has his finger on the pulse of the marijuana issue more than Skelton, and it’s clear he is as sober as a 19th century judge. So who better than he to call out which presidential candidate is under the influence of reefer madness?

When Skelton scribes Hunter Thompsonesque prose like “pandering to potheads” and “toking weed,” it’s a buzzjoy to see his Gonzo George side given newsprint in your ephemeral enterprise.

The Onion has nothing on The Times as long as it keeps publishing Skelton’s stellar snark.

Michael Patrick Bruen of Valley Village says sniping at marijuana users is so passe:

It’s interesting to note that Skelton’s recent article about Sanders “pandering to potheads” seems to be misplaced.

It should have been posted in the Comics section, since his comments were pretty much wasted on one of the most unimportant issues of the day, as the world has really moved on from stigmatizing anyone who does smoke pot for whatever reasons.

I’m sure that our own state will soon join others that have discovered there are much more important issues to address than what the facts are or aren’t on pot. Perhaps Skelton would find it much easier to kick back, let his hair down and enjoy a good smoke or a tasty edible than trying to figure out this crazy election year.

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