IS LEGALIZATION THE ANSWER? WEIGHING THE MERITS OF MARIJUANA

MARIJUANA HAS COSTS

Re: "Marijuana's safety," by Russ Jones, Wednesday Letters.

Although the opinionated debate on marijuana goes on, the reality is
that persons who drink marijuana teas, smoke marijuana or place
tincture in their eye are looking for an escape from something.

Why must they alter their mental status and metabolism? And continue
to influence ours? As a teacher, clinical educator and previous friend
of high-school smokers, I have seen students, patients and friends
lose much from wanting a brief run-away. Factually, the effect of
having an increased appetite due to smoking marijuana has only been
seen in persons who use this menacing weed regularly. Party-taking
practices an altered conscious state, and also takes up valuable time,
space and money from tried medical and agricultural prescriptions and
lands.

In Jamaica, where marijuana has been local, they have high mental
health costs with a low educational outcome.

Competing for these prizes seems like an unworthy rescue. Is there
some other way for us to experiment without increasing harm? It feels
like we have lost some footing in the areas of pain evolvement. If
marijuana is such a cure, why do we keep arresting people who commit
crimes when engaging in their drug use, while not arresting them does
not stop the crime?

Elaine Jansak, Dallas