Gordon Gill
Quips and Quotes

There's no logic in legalizing illicit drugs

Seeking avenues to elude the law seems to be commonplace these days.
Evidence of such an activity is witnessed by the legalization of marijuana
in the states of Arizona and California. California doesn't surprise me so
much, as that state is notorious for offthewall compromises of
established traditional law.

The hippies, the riots, the burning of parts of Los Angeles and the
continuous violence caused by gang rivalry in that coastal state have
provided pages of history that will be infamous for years to come.

Arizona, on the other hand, has generally been regarded as a
conservative entity and has not been in the headlines as an area of
unorthodox behavior.

Why the powers that be of these two states made the decision to
legalize a drug that has an established and wellfounded history of mental
impairment to users, is disturbing.

John Gray, Altoona police chief, wrote an excellent article in the
recent issue of "Inside Altoona," a regular newsletter published by the
city. In the article, Chief Gray cites statistics which provide
unquestionable facts that support the effort to abort such legislation.

Television has become a purveyor of violence, lurid scenes of passion
and often an apparent disregard for law and order.

A concerted effort is being staged to gag the tobacco industry and
protect our young people from the dangers of nicotine and its potential
threat to their health.

As we look at this valiant endeavor, and then consider an attempt to
legalize an illicit drug, one must wonder about the logic.

It is a proven fact that smoking is dangerous to your health and
should be avoided. But marijuana doesn't fall into this category? Come
on, let's get reasonable.

GG

To do for the world more than the world does for you that is success.

Gill, a lifelong Altoona resident, is a former owner and longtime
columnist for the HeraldIndex.

Thursday, May 8, 1997, Page 6A.
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