TIRED OF HIDING POT USE

Re "Got Pot?" [RN&R, Oct. 3]:

What I know to be true about marijuana:

I'm a mother of three, who went back to school in 1993 after I left my
ex-husband. I graduated with honors.

I started smoking marijuana in 1969. I was in the eighth grade, and I still
indulge.

Throughout the years I have gone months without smoking, I have never
experienced "addictive withdrawls." When I have pot, I only smoke after
work or weekends. I do not believe in going to work or driving stoned. I
find that pot is the best way for me to relax after a long day.

Having smoked for so long, I have come to several conclusions. The first is
that there are many people who are better off smoking a joint than
drinking, myself included. I have alcoholic tendencies. I black out, and I
say and do things that are not nice. My ex-husband was an alcoholic. When
he drank, he hurt me. When he smoked pot, he would eat a lot. Second, pot
(like alcohol) affects people differently. Yes, some get "stupid," others
kick back and still others are not even affected by it. (My brother could
smoke primo and not get stoned.) Third, I don't get hangovers from pot,
which is something that gets longer as I get older with alcohol. Fourth,
marijuana was not a "lead-in drug" for me or anybody else I know that
smokes it. Most of us started with cigarettes (I use to steal them from my
parents at the age of 11), beer or wine (my first drink was before I ever
smoked pot).

I have never understood why marijuana is illegal while tobacco and alcohol
are not. I have lost many friends and relations to both of the latter. Not
one person I know has died as a result of marijuana.

I am tired of hiding something I enjoy. The unfortunate part of pot is it
stays in your system a long time. I didn't smoke for months but I had a
drug test come up dirty. I lost a job I really needed, and I had to go on
welfare and food stamps to survive. This is something I was not proud of
doing, but when you have kids what are your choices?

My children are out of the house now. I have a great job, a wonderful
husband and life is good. But it could be better if I didn't have to hide.

Name withheld Verdi