SHOULD MARIJUANA BE LEGALIZED? ANTI-

Just say no.

It's a simple phrase, but many Americans seem to have trouble with the
concept. Now they want to change the phrase to: Say yes to marijuana.

The unfortunate thing is, so many influential people in our society do
drugs frequently or have at least tried them and don't see anything
wrong with their habitual use.

Marijuana isn't harmless.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, overall drug
use is down, but eighth- and 10th-graders are using it more often
than they did in the 80s.

Teens are three and a half times more likely to attempt suicide if
they smoke marijuana before they are 17, according to a study by Dr.
Michael Lynskey of the School of Medicine at Washington University in
St. Louis.

Children and young adults who use marijuana are 17 percent more likely
to develop major depressive disorders later in life, 23 percent more
likely to have alcohol dependence and a whopping 40 percent more
likely to have substance use disorders, said Dr. Judith S. Brook of
New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Things get worse when anyone does drugs and gets behind the wheel of a
car. According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an
estimated 32.8 million people 12 or older drove under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10
percent to 22 percent of drivers involved in crashes had drugs in
their system.

That year, more than 42,642 people died on U.S. roads. Not all of the
deaths were caused by drugs, but many of them could have been
prevented if drivers had not been under the influence of drugs while
driving.

On Aug. 17, 2007, Richard Hill smoked some marijuana and then went for
a drive on the wrong side of the road.

He collided with Todd Kirtley's car. His 10-year-old daughter, April,
was in the car with him. Kirtley is now paralyzed and might never be
able to walk again. Hill was sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison.

Kirtley will never see his daughter again.

Having never tried marijuana or any other illegal substance, I
couldn't tell you what drives people to take drugs. I couldn't tell
you what possesses them to seek out more drugs. I don't even
understand why they try them in the first place.

It's like drug users are stuck in the third grade and the school bully
tells them they should eat the brown thing he gave them that looks
suspiciously like a cat turd.

He promises that it will be good, it will help them relax, it will
help them focus, it will help them be anything in the world they want
to be. And in the end, they take a bite of the turd and are surprised
when it does none of those things. They just have a serious case of
halitosis and a hankering for their next turd.

You can tell me how wonderful it is and how much it has opened your
eyes to a new world of possibilities or how it's just like alcohol but
better. All I'm going to notice is that your breath smells like bull
hockey and you probably need a bath.