Editor, Ceres Courier,
The primary goal of drug legalization advocates has been to convince the public that marijuana is a harmless plant. Of course, they are aware that so-called "medical" marijuana is grossly abused, and store front dispensaries are nothing more than legitimized (Prop 215) drug dealers.

Without medical marijuana, full legalization would not be possible. In fact medical marijuana was used as a stepping stone to get to full marijuana legalization. If it was ever truly about helping the sick and dying as Prop. 215 proponents would have liked us to believe back in 1996, they would be willing to go through the FDA process. The mission of U.S. Food & Drug Administration is to protect and advance public health through safety, efficacy, and the quality of the products it regulates. FDA regulated products require stringent research standards.

Let's be clear. No medicine is voted on by the general public. Voters do not have the knowledge or expertise to decide what is and is not a medication. That is what the FDA is for and they said very clearly that marijuana has no medicinal value.

If medical marijuana advocates truly believed that marijuana has medicinal value then why don't they do the required research and submit it to the FDA for evaluation? Medical marijuana is the largest scam ever to be perpetrated against Californians.

We know full marijuana legalization was the intended goal all along. We voted on it in 2010. Prop 19 would have legalized marijuana outright. Although it was clearly defeated, and should have sent a strong message, it didn't stop San Francisco's corrupt politicians. We also know the goal is to decriminalize all illicit drugs including heroin.

Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom didn't flip flop on the issue of marijuana legalization. His campaign contributions prove his long connection to marijuana legalization groups and individuals. Newsom simply waited for the right time to announce his support.

There is a systematic attempt to undermine our drug laws by San Francisco's corrupt politicians, despite the fact that they are violating their oath of office and the constitutional rights of millions of California residents.

It's time to call out Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, and the other two members of the Emerald Trio, on their blatant attempt to use their positions to cause serious harm to the people of California, while the marijuana lobby continues to fund their political campaigns.

Linda Taylor