SENATE REPORT LACKS WISDOM

The proposal by a Senate committee this week to legalize and regulate pot
is certainly worth some 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.
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, 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 which 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.

Furthermore, research shows that the earlier people start using drugs, the
more likely they are to go on to experiment with other drugs. Granted, for
some people this could simply be because marijuana is not legal and there
is a certain sense of rebellious excitement in using it.

Nonetheless, do we really want to allow some 16-year-old kid to spend his
school lunch hour smoking a joint?

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.