IS LEGALIZATION THE ANSWER? WEIGHING THE MERITS OF MARIJUANA

IT HAS CALMING EFFECTS

I'm a Reagan Republican and a middle-aged female completely
uninterested in any kind of drugs - sans beer, which is much worse -
and I feel strongly that marijuana should indeed be legalized.

I have seen firsthand what daily marijuana use can do for a person
and it is much less harmful to our bodies (in its unaltered form, of
course) than prescription pills.

Since we have a maniacal aversion to anything that has to be smoked
in this society, I believe that has much to do with the fight against
making it legal.

As for it being a "gateway drug," in my experience it has been the
opposite, as people who once had serious drug problems come back to
the calming effect of pot in lieu of the awful, life-altering effects
of other illicit drugs.

This statement may make some folks laugh, but I say often that
marijuana is God's Prozac - again in its unaltered form. It is
calming, it aids in sleep, it increases your appetite, etc. Add to
that all the folks who are in jails and prisons as a result of usage
and/or delivery and that would ease the burden on the system to a great degree.

Unfortunately, there are many folks out there who flat need calming down.

Jeanette C. Robertson, Fort Worth