LEGALIZING MARIJUANA LOWERS THE BAR

When considering the measure to legalize marijuana, I hope that we as
a society bring common sense to the voting booth.

In short, stoned just means that: stoned. The mind and physical
reactions are impaired. If people think they will get high and remain
at home and not venture out to a job, a party, or for the munchies,
how will they determine that they are sober? How will they know for
sure when it is safe to drive? If they do stay at home, the effect
will be on the rest of the household. The person smoking the now legal
substance is in his or her own world.

The correlation is to drinking, as if that somehow justifies the use.
This is just a diversion tactic. Have we forgotten the statistics that
most hard drug users will say that they started in their early teens
and with marijuana? Will we tell our children, "No smoking pot, until
you are 18." Will we still lecture them about it being a gateway drug
and how it consumes your life, until smoking pot is all you want to
do?

If your teen starts before it's legal, will it still hit you in the
gut and cause you sleepless nights wondering about the path he or she
is taking?

Will we lower the bar? If so, then we can be drunk and
stoned.

The inevitable question becomes what is from preventing lowering the
bar again?

Don't give up. We are better than this.

Debbie Albert, Durham