Pubdate: Sat, 12 Nov 2011 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2011 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.signonsandiego.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386 Author: Terry Tucker Hinkley Referred: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n649/a08.html?1118 LEAVE MARIJUANA EXPERIMENTATION TO SCIENTISTS I agree with Aaron J. Byzak and with addiction doctors and mental health professionals: The cost of legalization of marijuana is much too high. Ask anyone who has had a marriage collapse, a child impaired or a near-miss on the roads because someone drove when he was loaded. The impact of a marijuana-smoking family member on the family unit is under-studied, but that impact is always negative. The impact of smoking anything has been studied: It leaves a legacy of health problems, mental and physical. Leave marijuana experimentation to the scientists. If medical marijuana is useful in catastrophic illnesses like multiple sclerosis and cancer treatments, medical science will find a way to safely prescribe and regulate medical marijuana for the few people who truly need it. The rest of us need to look at society's ills from a stone-cold-sober point of view. And marijuana takes a terrible toll on our youth and on families of so-called "recreational" users, not to mention the overall health and well-being of society. Don't legalize marijuana. Keep young people, families, and those who must navigate traffic in cars safe. Terry Tucker Hinkley San Diego - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.