In regard to the upcoming referendum on medicinal marijuana, Gov. Angus King and other officials have been repeating the line that “declaring marijuana to have medical benefits sends the wrong message to our kids.” Another way of looking at this is to consider heroin and morphine. Although the two are pharmacologically very similar, morphine is medicine and heroin is a dangerous, illegal drug.

Which of these two is causing the substance-abuse problem, the one prescribed by doctors or the one pushed by the various mafias? The answer is obvious. Not only do we have a steady population of heroin addicts in this country, we also have gang wars, overdoses, infectious needles and a cultural mystique about young rebels taking heroin. In (dreadful) movies like “Pulp Fiction,” for example, the “hereos” are not taking morphine.

The same equation holds true for medical drugs like Prozac and their recreational cousin, XTC.

For a public official to express the slightest doubt about any aspect of the war on drugs, or to admit to any possibility of an alternative would be political suicide. So that is why the citizens in one state after another are demanding through referenda that the blanket prohibition be ended.

The very last group of people to agree, ironically, will be that group of politicians who want to “get government off the backs of people.” Peter Pfeiffer Solon