MARIJUANA USE IS NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL

All this fuss over medical marijuana dispensaries makes me wonder
what it is, exactly, that worries some people about legal
dispensaries. The argument most frequently used is the danger to
children and teens. I have raised a few teenagers, and I can tell you
that the main drug of choice is still beer. Like marijuana, it's
illegal for teenagers. The ones that smoke weed don't buy it in a
dispensary. Legal dispensary or no, teenagers find a way to buy drugs.

As a father, pot was the least of my worries. Its not addictive, you
can't overdose on it, there's no hangover and you won't go out
looking for a fight on pot. Alcohol and meth are the most
problem-causing and dangerous drugs. Alcohol is the main ingredient
for the stupid choices that most teenagers make, especially involving
violence and law-breaking. They don't smoke weed then go cruising,
looking for a fight. And I've never heard of one crashing their car
while high, unless they were also drinking. Closing down dispensaries
won't make much difference to people who want to smoke weed. It won't
cut down on the number of people who use it.

There has always been plenty available on the black market. Prices
for legal and illegal pot are, surprisingly, pretty much the same,
although dispensaries may offer more choices. There is a growing
cottage industry that is making a great deal of money as a result of
legally-controlled marijuana, from the doctors that charge $150 or so
for a prescription to the backyard growers to the shops that sell it.
Those people all pay taxes and buy licenses.

The only real difference I see between legal marijuana and black
market pot is that the government gets a share of the legal sales.
The rest is knee-jerk alarmism and misleading rhetoric.

Jimmy Mancini

Visalia