ALLEN WAS RIGHT TO TAKE A STAND ON POT CONVICTION

Re: 'Allen's no-show will cost $100K' (Daily News, Dec. 7)

I say it's worth $100,000 for Donna Allen to make a stand against
incoming school trustee Bill Bard since he did not disclose his
criminal record for growing marijuana and receiving a one-year
conditional sentence.

Obviously, he thought this was negligible. I don't.

This is not the kind of role model I want to see making decisions for
school children. Despite the recent popular hankerings to see
marijuana legalized, history has multiple examples to show that drug
panaceas always have a negative side. Opium and cocaine were both
legal up until about 100 years ago until it was found that the fun
and happiness quotient also had the devastating downside of destroying lives.

Further long-term studies of marijuana use is required, according to
the scientific community.

One seldom discussed aspect of regular marijuana use is the impact it
has on relationships.

Regular users can tend to zone out emotionally, which leaves their
partners in an intimacy vacuum.

I find the "it's better than alcohol" argument pathetic. We are not
big babies that require a soother to make it through the day. Yes,
some of us, such as myself, overeat, and that is why there is so much
diet information out there.

Madeline Bruce,

Nanaimo