Pubdate: Fri, 01 Oct 2010 Source: Union, The (Grass Valley, CA) Copyright: 2010 The Union Contact: http://apps.theunion.com/utils/forms/lettertoeditor/ Website: http://www.theunion.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/957 Author: J. Crouch FIND A BETTER ANSWER Since I am in my 60s and haven't experienced the effects of using marijuana in many years ... I decided to give it a try and then form (or re-form) my opinions of using it. I tried it and started driving home down McCourtney Road to Penn Valley! On the road I use quite often, I got lost three times, ran off the edge of the road several times, lost my phone trying to call for help and completely forgot how to get home. I sat on the edge of the road for an hour waiting to be able to continue. I have never been so messed up! It was a terrible, frightening experience and completely reaffirmed my belief that the drug (marijuana) is extremely harmful and mind altering! People who believe its primary benefit is to relieve pain are not facing reality. You can also relieve severe pain by drinking yourself into oblivion ... why not open clinics to promote therapeutic, pain relieving alcohol use? California would not be overflowing with fields of marijuana if our lawmakers experienced what I did that night. There has to be a better answer to this dilemma than legalizing another mind-altering narcotic. J. Crouch of Penn Valley - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart