REVENUES FROM LEGAL POT NOT WORTH RISK TO YOUTH

It was very sad to read about the recent death and devastation of our youth
by the use of hard drugs ("Pills that kill," Sept. 19-21). Unfortunately,
this situation was predicted at the time Massachusetts decriminalized
marijuana. Doctors and other experts testified that easy access to pot
would make youth more likely to try hard drugs. And heroin is so addictive
that one or two experiences can result in addiction.

At the high school attended by my grandchildren, the smell of pot is strong
throughout the halls. The principal says there is nothing he can do since
pot possession has been decriminalized. And yet years ago, the halls and
restrooms were policed by teachers to prohibit cigarette smoking. Lax pot
policies in our schools should not be tolerated.

We should not legalize marijuana because a small minority of adults thinks
it's fun. The tax dollars that might be generated are also not worth the
result of our youth dying.

Kenneth H. Molloy

Cotuit