'POT NOT THAT BAD' WRITER MISTAKEN

I just can't bring myself to leave the marijuana thing alone, as Heidi
Winter suggested in her Feb. 14 letter, "Pot not that bad." It is
incomprehensible to me that this individual has the audacity to write about
any drug not being potentially dangerous to our schools, let alone our
society. What is obvious is that Ms. Winter wrote from her heart, which
appears to me to be not only uneducated but self-serving. Because of this,
I would like to share some things that should be considered.

First, marijuana, also properly known as Cannabis, is classified as a
psychoactive drug. It is controlled under Schedule I of the Comprehensive
Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970. That means that it is controlled for a
reason.

Second, yes, medical documentation has shown use of marijuana as an
anticonvulsant, for decreasing nausea and vomiting, and associated with
reducing intraocular pressure due to glaucoma. But...

Third, it is also medically documented that it alters mood, memory, motor
coordination, cognitive ability and self-perception. It also affects
complex sensory perception, concentration and information processing.
Higher doses can produce delusions, paranoid feelings, anxiety and panic.
It also increases the systolic blood pressure related to an increased heart
rate.

Fourth, marijuana is what I call a step drug. What this means is that it is
not uncommon for a user to move on to a stronger drug because the desired
affect is no longer found. This perpetuates drug addition. With addiction
comes the breakdown of the individual, the family and society.

I'm not going to go any further than to close with the comment that Ms.
Winter is right. We do need to worry about guns, fighting and stronger
drugs. But, in order to do that we have to stop the behaviors of
individuals before they progress to this level of danger.

Ms. Winter now should know that I did in fact think four times before writing.

Victoria Parker, Walkersville