NO POT FOR TEENS

What The Heck Were They Smoking?

The recent proposal by a Senate committee to legalize and regulate
marijuana is certainly worth some debate, particularly given the estimated
$2-billion tax windfall. But we question the wisdom of proposing that
anyone 16 and older should be allowed to use it.

The Senate committee recommends treating marijuana the same as cigarettes.
But marijuana, unlike tobacco, is a mind-altering drug. Some immediate
physical effects of marijuana include a faster heartbeat and pulse rate,
bloodshot eyes, and a dry mouth and throat - pretty much the same effects
as smoking.

However, marijuana can also impair the user's short-term memory, alter
sense of time, and reduce the ability to do things which require
concentration, swift reactions or coordination, such as driving a car or
operating heavy machinery.

A major concern about marijuana is its possible effects on young people as
they grow up. Marijuana can interfere with learning by impairing thinking,
reading comprehension and verbal and mathematical skills. It's a no-brainer
that being stoned is not conducive to learning.

Adults will do what adults want to do and will take responsibility for it -
and that's where the debate over legalized marijuana should begin.