POT NOT THAT BAD?

I was reading the letter to the editor from Heidi Winter in
Tennessee, (Feb. 14,"Pot not that bad"). Yes she is right, people
should be more concerned with harder drugs, but one problem with
marijuana is that it is a gateway drug that leads to the harder drugs
like ecstasy and heroin.

I know this for a fact. I have seen drugs mess up most of my friends
and their families' lives. Guess how it all started? Marijuana. For
one, I know someone who started out drinking, then using marijuana.
He said, "Oh, I would never do those drugs, they are just stupid."
Well last year he ended up in the hospital because he tried to commit
suicide. Marijuana led him to do every kind of drug you can think of.
His favorite was ecstasy. Now he is on anti-depressants and he
believes the computer people are after him. He is way beyond his teen
years and still acts like he is a teen-ager.

I have a friend who did marijuana once because he was tired of being
made fun of and thought that was the only way they would leave him
alone. Guess what? It didn't work. Then he found some friends and
they did hard drugs and he ended up doing them to fit in with these
so-called "friends." Now four out of five of his friends cannot be
left alone; they need 24-hour supervision. They have wasted their
brains away to nothing. My friend has tried to harm himself and
others. He is in and out of the hospital, and probably will never
lead a normal life like you and me. His parents may always have to
support him for the rest of his life. He started out with marijuana
because he wanted to be cool. Which then led to ecstasy and heroin.

I can think of many more lives drugs have ruined. I will admit it,
yes, I tried marijuana but thanks to friends who ruined their lives I
will never do drugs again. Yes, marijuana helps cancer patients deal
with their pain, but the marijuana you get from the doctor is as pure
as it comes. When you get marijuana off the street many things are
added to make your high a lot better. So, Heidi in Tennessee is the
one who needs to get the facts straight, not Mr. Anderson.

CASSIE HARTZELL
Brunswick