Pubdate: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 Source: Tampa Bay Times (FL) Copyright: 2013 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.tampabay.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Note: Named the St. Petersburg Times from 1884-2011. Author: Kendra Salito Re: Medical marijuana gets 82% support in new poll Nov. 22 LET'S NOT MAKE POT LEGAL Whenever the people argue about marijuana, they always claim that it "has never killed anyone,"but who's to say it has improved anyone? Legalization of this drug seems to be a waste of time. This drug is a gateway drug and once a user feels comfortable with it, they may eventually feel as though they are capable of trying something stronger. There are currently many people attempting to try and pass this piece of legislation and quite frankly, if s because they basically want laziness to become legal. According to WebMD, marijuana usage slows reaction tune. By legalizing this, it's inviting more people to drive under the influence and possibly cause car accidents. We hear of people dying in DUI-related car accidents all the time, why bother to add on another drug for people to abuse? One thing that is usually not considered when wanting to legalize marijuana is drug synergy. If this becomes legal and more obtainable, people may mix it with other drugs and even alcohol. If marijuana use is involved in the death of even one person, I feel as though that's reason enough to not make it legal. Kendra Salito, Tampa - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom