Pubdate: Sun, 13 Apr 2014
Source: Holland Sentinel (MI)
Copyright: 2014 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Contact: http://extra.hollandsentinel.com/submitletter.shtml
Website: http://www.hollandsentinel.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1145
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?275 (Cannabis - Michigan)

AMERICA SHOULD SLOW DOWN RUSH TO LEGALIZE POT

The legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington has stirred
optimism among advocates that they can end prohibitions against
cannabis across the country.

For the first time, a national poll this year showed a majority of
Americans in favor of legalization. Seventeen states, including
Michigan, allow medical marijuana, and 12 communities in Michigan are
facing ballot proposals to legalize or decriminalize marijuana.

Many people believe that a nation weary of the "war on drugs" is
ready, or at least resigned, to legalization. Our response is: Hold on
a minute.

Arguments for legalization are often based on how marijuana compares
with already legal substances. The medical research on marijuana is
far from comprehensive, but it doesn't appear to be associated with as
wide a constellation of diseases and health problems as tobacco.
Neither does recreational use of marijuana lead to the level of
violence and driving fatalities associated with alcohol.

But it's hardly as if marijuana is a benign substance.

The wild "reefer madness" exaggerations of generations past
discredited opponents of marijuana use, but the fact that pot is far
less destructive than drugs like cocaine doesn't mean it's harmless.

The impaired judgment and coordination that often come with marijuana
use pose an obvious risk in driving, and chronic use is associated
with paranoia and other mental illnesses.

Further, marijuana can be addictive. According to the National
Institute on Drug Abuse, 9 percent of users become addicted and, more
importantly, the rate rises to 17 percent (one in six) among teen users.

Questions about the effect on intelligence and other health conditions
from long-term use remain to be settled -- there's a lot that's just
not known.

And Baby Boomers who might have smoked decades ago might not realize
that today's marijuana is three times more potent than the substance
they used in college.

But even if we assume that marijuana is no worse than alcohol and that
an occasional high isn't harmful, we still ask: Is what America needs
today another legal mind-altering substance?

Another product that reduces mental acuity at work and
school?

As California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a recent interview: "The
problem with anything, a certain amount is OK. But there is a tendency
to go to extremes.

And all of a sudden, if there's advertising and legitimacy, how many
people can get stoned and still have a great state or a great nation?"
Legalizing marijuana will make it even easier for young people to
obtain; sweet-tasting marijuana-laced cookies and brownies seem to be
products tailor-made for adolescents. Wouldn't it be ironic if just as
American society was driving a harmful product like tobacco onto the
fringes that we opened the front door to another product with
potentially negative effects?

While we're skeptical of legalization, decriminalizing marijuana is
different. Too many millions of dollars have been spent over the years
sending pot users to prison; there is no reason marijuana should be
treated by the legal system as a drug on the same level as LSD. A fine
would be a far more appropriate sentence than a jail sentence. We can
still say no without branding people as criminals.

Colorado and Washington will eventually tell us the effects of
legalization. Halfway measures like the medical marijuana laws in
Michigan have only shown us that "regulated" use of marijuana doesn't
work very well. While there are people who legitimately ameliorate
serious medical conditions with marijuana, the experience around the
country is that medical marijuana licenses are far too easy to obtain
by people who don't have any real physical ailment and just want to
get high. Perhaps Colorado and Washington will eventually tell us that
society can legalize marijuana without any serious problems, but it's
far too early to tell. Similarly, we need a lot more information on
the long-term health effects of pot use. We shouldn't get caught up in
the rush to legalize when so many questions are unanswered. For now,
our answer is no.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D