Pubdate: Wed, 08 Feb 2012
Source: Sooke News Mirror (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Sooke News Mirror
Contact:  http://www.sookenewsmirror.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2142

LEGALIZATION DEBATE CRUCIAL

The debate continues to rage over whether marijuana should be made 
legal or continue to be prohibited. Everyone seems to have an 
opinion. Some feel it does no harm and is in fact beneficial, others 
think it is the devil's weed and causes a downward spiral to hard 
drugs and depravity.

The answer is somewhere in between. While marijuana should not be 
readily available to children and teens, it should be for adults, 
much the same as alcohol is. As adults, we have already made up our 
minds as to whether we would partake of a joint or not. Legalizing 
marijuana won't change the minds of those who have already chosen not 
to use it. But, to deny those with medical issues the benefit of 
medical marijuana is short sighted and at times even cruel. 
Responsibility lies with each individual person and it is probably 
the most valuable lesson parents can teach children in regard to 
drugs, alcohol and sex.

Marijuana itself is not addictive, what is addictive is the "feel 
good feeling" and people around the world have been finding it 
through various means for eons. We legalize alcohol yet it is the 
cause of more abuse than marijuana would ever likely be. Smoking a 
joint does not lead to heavy drug use -- what leads to that is a 
person's need to escape their life and their problems.

Legalizing marijuana is a huge step and one that needs to be weighed 
out in regard to criminal activity. Take away the profit and you take 
away the crime. Crime is always about profit and greed -- just don't 
get in the way of it.

While we do not advocate one way or another, it is an important 
dialogue which needs to go on.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom