US GOVERNMENT SHOULD EMBRACE LEGAL MARIJUANA

To The Editor:

I just want to thank the editorial board of the DTH for running the
September 25 editorial, "Grass is good for the economy."

It is nice to see that a publication has the courage and sensibility
to run such a controversial - yet necessary - editorial.

Ever since the 1930s, this country has had an irrational fear of
"reefer madness."

Marijuana use - in moderation - poses no extreme threat to the body's
well-being and can even improve an individual's mental state.

Marijuana does not increase an individual's risk for developing lung
cancer and its side effects (the munchies, increased creativity,
etc.) are harmless.

Further, cannabis (the plant from which marijuana is derived) has
many practical uses aside from marijuana cultivation. From the plant,
one can cultivate hemp rope and clothing.

The bottom line is that our country is wasting billions of dollars to
halt the use and distribution of a drug that, quite frankly, will
never stop being used or distributed.

By criminalizing the growth, use and possession of marijuana, our
government is taking everyday people and turning them into criminals,
creating a sub-culture of citizens who cannot vote and who can't hold
a decent job, simply because they took a puff of some ganja.

If we want to save money, protect consumers and create a more stable
society, then marijuana must be legalized.

David Zoppo

Freshmen

Political Science