FIELD TEST WOULD PACIFY BOTH SIDES OF CITY MARIJUANA ISSUE

Editor, the Tribune: I find it amusing that Bailey Hirschburg, a college
student praising Columbia's recently passed "pot law," is quoted in the
April 17 Tribune as saying, "I do enjoy" marijuana "from time from time.
We're talking about use, not abuse." He claims he can't afford the $250
fine, yet he can afford to buy his marijuana! His second part of the
statement is more laughable: "And even if you do abuse it, it's not as
harmful as alcohol or cigarette abuse." Has he seen the list of chemicals in
pot?

As for harm, there is a legal test for alcohol - a DWI violation but not a
cost-effective way to field-test a person under the influence of marijuana.
That is the biggest issue police officers face. What people do with their
own money and free time ultimately is up to them. When they get in a car or
violate the rights of other people as a result, then it is an issue for the
community. Find a cost-effective way to test the sobriety of someone under
the influence of THC, and I'm sure most law enforcement personnel will find
its legalization easier to swallow.

Amy Anderson