WHAT WERE THEY SMOKING?

The proposal by a Senate committee this week to legalize and regulate pot
is certainly worth a great deal of debate, particularly given the
$2-billion estimated 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,
which we also don't believe should be available to kids 16 and older.

The additional argument in the case of marijuana is that, unlike tobacco,
it 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, studies of marijuana's mental effects show that the drug can
impair or reduce the user's short-term memory, alter sense of time, and
reduce the ability to do things that require concentration, swift reactions
and co-ordination, 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. Research shows
that students do not remember what they have learned when they are "high."
It's a no-brainer that being stoned is not conducive to learning.

Do we really want to allow some 16-year-old kid to spend his school lunch
hour smoking a joint, returning to school for his afternoon algebra class
with a buzz on?

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.