LEGALIZATION IS MEANINGLESS

Once again, people will vote on the legalization of marijuana. As most
people know, this is about the fourth time in one form or other that
this has been on the ballot. ...

Medical marijuana, in rare cases, if it could really be controlled and
not abused, possibly has some merit, but as it is today, this
legalization is meaningless. In my 20-plus years of law enforcement, I
had a lot of contact with users of illegal substances. People seem
able to find another substance to abuse and the result is usually the
same: Not only the abuser, but usually someone else is severely
affected as a result.

If Proposition 19 passes by the vote of the people, then you will see
the age at which children will experiment with marijuana drop more and
more and in greater numbers ... as others diminish the harm that
marijuana can cause. Some users have been known to have flashbacks for
months after not using it.

Unfortunately, many new users feel only minimal effects the first
time. Because of modern techniques, the potency of THC has increased
from less than 1 percent to as high as 24 percent today. It is
important for everyone to study closely on this issue and then vote.

Jim Provenza

Oceanside