There was recently a hoax article that went viral online claiming several people had died from overdoses in Colorado on the first day of legal marijuana use. Not knowing much about marijuana, I looked at some online medical research documentation to see what I could find out.

It appears there is no recorded overdose death in the 6,000 years of human use of the stuff. Apparently there is no known overdose amount. Some researchers managed to kill some rats with it, but they used so much they could have just dropped it on them and achieved the same fatal result.

[continues 74 words]

For a little while in my teenage years, my friends and I smoked marijuana. It was fun. I have some fond memories of us all being silly together. I think those moments of uninhibited frolic deepened our friendships.

But then we all sort of moved away from it. I don't remember any big group decision that we should give up weed. It just sort of petered out, and, before long, we were scarcely using it.

We didn't give it up for the obvious health reasons: that it is addictive in about 1 in 6 teenagers; that smoking and driving is a good way to get yourself killed; that young people who smoke go on to suffer IQ loss and perform worse on other cognitive tests.

[continues 689 words]

Political Leaders Owe Us Clarity of Thought

The nation appeared to pass a tipping point last year on the marijuana question, with a strong majority in a Gallup poll suddenly on board for full legalization. A pollster hired by a pro-pot group came up with similar numbers in Texas.

Other barometers suggest that the public has lost patience with the 42-year-old war on drugs. Attorney General Eric Holder, aghast at the warehousing of drug convicts in federal prisons, announced that the feds would no longer bring cases against possession-only suspects with no gang affiliation.

[continues 424 words]

Regarding "Legalization of marijuana won't bring out our best" (Page B7, Saturday), New York Times columnist David Brooks is wise to point out the evidence for careful consideration of legalizing marijuana. However, since the current generation has turned over so much of its daily responsibilities to the nanny state, personal intelligence is no longer the requirement for our collective happiness that it once was. I say, embrace pot. Consider the music of the likes of Louie Armstrong, John Lennon and Jimmie Hendrix. Marijuana gave us the timeless music of the Haight-Ashbury '60's.

[continues 85 words]

Congratulations to Colorado for opting out of the federal government's 76 year old-not at all grand-experiment with marijuana prohibition.

It has resulted in millions of people being denied a useful herbal medicine, building the largest prison system in the history of the world, corruption at every level of government and the rise of gangs of brutal thugs to supply the demand. All at a cost of more than a trillion dollars.

In 2012 when Colorado and Washington were set to vote on legalizing marijuana the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness estimated that if the measure passed in only one state it would result in an annual loss to the drug trafficking organizations of $1.4 billion.

[continues 54 words]

Well, it looks as though being able to use marijuana legally in Colorado is the big news maker of the new year. Although how state law can trump federal law is news to me.

After reading the stories on the front page on new years day I was drawn to Jacquielynn Floyd's column in the metro section. The story was about the young drug addict who was killed while breaking into a neighbor's house while he was high on drugs. A sad story indeed.

[continues 102 words]

The worst you can say about marijuana is that it produces intense, unreasoning panic. Not in users, but in critics, who fear that legalization will increase usage among young people.

Those critics might make a better case if existing drug laws were keeping weed out of the hands of wayward kids. In truth, they're about as effective as a picket fence in a tidal wave. In a 2009 survey, high school students said they found it easier to get than beer. In 2011, 23 percent of 12th-graders said they had used weed in the preceding month.

[continues 343 words]

For Kids, It's Not Just Harmless Fun, Says Ruth Marcus

Marijuana legalization may be the same-sex marriage of 2014 - a trend that reveals itself in the course of the year as obvious and inexorable. At the risk of exposing myself as the fuddy-duddy I seem to have become, I hope not.

This is, I confess, not entirely logical and a tad hypocritical. At the risk of exposing myself as not the total fuddy-duddy of my children's dismissive imaginings, I have done my share of inhaling, though back in the age of bellbottoms and polyester.

[continues 597 words]

My New Year's wish is that public officials would stop pushing their religious beliefs and so-called "morals" on the community. The state of Texas is almost an embarrassment when it comes to how justice is administered. Despite all our guns, overflowing prisons and frequent executions, we still have one of the highest crime rates in the country.

Drunk drivers who kill and rapists are given probation, and simple drug possession can put you in prison for years and ruin your life. People can be pulled over and strip-searched for no reason other than someone thinks they smell something. I really hope we have a serious dialogue about our laws and how justice is administered in this state, including decriminalizing drug possession.

Tina Sanchez, Pleasant Grove

[end]