Pubdate: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 Source: Standard, The (St. Catharines, CN ON) Copyright: 2002, The Standard Contact: http://www.scstandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/676 Author: Sue Nadon Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1102/a10.html IN NO WAY SHOULD WE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA Regarding the letter about legalizing marijuana by Wayne Phillips (The Standard June 14): A crook is a crook! If it's not underground drugs, then it would be something else. We need to protect the world's children from greedy marijuana growers. If someone chooses to break the law by growing or smoking the stuff, that's one thing. But we cannot have it sold to children. The only way to combat this is to stop selling altogether. You can't guarantee that the children would not be affected by drugs. Why would anybody want to pay more taxes, because that's what would happen if grass was legal. People could show up for work after smoking marijuana -- the doctor who just performed that operation on your loved one, the teachers teaching our children, and so forth. We would have to have mandatory drug-testing and every level. Don't you think that would cost more than just a few dollars? The government would constantly be having to fight legal battles about this against people who think that their rights are being violated because marijuana is legal. It may stop some illegal activity, but in the long run it would end up costing more. How are you to know if that cashier at the store is really laughing at your joke or is just stoned? New laws would have to put in place so people would refrain from smoking on the job. It's not like you can smell it on their breath, like alcohol. And tobacco doesn't alter your thought process like drugs. Legalize marijuana? As if! Sue Nadon Cushman Road, St. Catharines - --- MAP posted-by: Alex