ANY MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IS A BAD MOVE

As a person who values my health and believes in the simplistic but
important concept of being responsible, I'm appalled by the notion
that state lawmakers are even considering legalizing marijuana for
medical uses, as stated in Mackenzie Carpenter's article "Pa. Bill
Would Legalize Marijuana as Therapeutic Option" (July 11).

Has our society really sunk this low? Sure, there is some very limited
merit to any argument regarding therapeutic uses. However, if we take
this step, where does it stop?

As the article mentions, our culture glorifies the use of this illegal
substance in movies and television along with outlets such as musical
lyrics and books. Rarely do they show the whole story, choosing only
to focus on a happy-go-lucky image.

The bottom line is that use of marijuana is synonymous with
irresponsibility, selfishness, immaturity and a lack of willpower.
And, it's sad when we actually have people raising children and
working in financial institutions, as mentioned in the article,
involved in such things. I would never let somebody who lights up be
even remotely responsible for a child of mine and certainly not for my
money.

At least we do have a couple of responsible high-ranking politicians
out there in the two major candidates for the governor's office. As
mentioned in the article, both are very much opposed to legalization
in any form. After all, somebody has to step up using some sense and
reason to do the right thing.

Jason Greiner, Mount Washington