NOT MEDICINE, NO MATTER WHAT

Re "Puff piece" by Nick Miller (SN&R Feature, January 20):

After reading Nick Miller's take on so-called medical marijuana, I
felt compelled to ask: Why is it so all-important to alter one's
God-given ability to be of normal mind? Why do these stoners believe
that they are doing themselves good? I am not convinced that its use
is the way to medicate yourself.

What cannabis does do is make you forget your pain while you are
stoned out of your mind! How can these folks explain to their
children the false benefits of using an illegal drug to cope with
life? If it's so harmless, why not get your kids started early? Then
they won't "suffer" as much as you do! Stoners are stoners. They
stand out and can be smelled a mile away. It really is a shame and
embarrassment to our society and our communities to see people under
the influence.

It's not a rosy picture to know that not only do we have drunks
committing crimes, but some of these folks are also under the
influence of marijuana as well. No matter how much I read about this
topic, I cannot accept or believe that marijuana is [anything] more
than a mind-altering party drug. It has no other benefit than to put
one in another frame of mind.

Rudy Venegas

Citrus Heights