MARIJUANA AND HARM

To the editor:

The push to legalize marijuana is somewhat misguided.

It is not a mild or harmless drug.

Most of the available marijuana is so strong it causes shakes and heart
palpitations.

In other words, it "ain't yer daddy's weed" anymore.

Much of it is laced or treated with other more harmful drugs.

For the advocates of legalization, I agree they have some good points: the
war on drugs is expensive and it costs a lot to house convicted users in
jail. In a slight but important way, the Indiana Legislature has recently
modified the law to allow, in most cases, treatment in lieu of prosecution.

But the real issue is how wasteful and destructive the drug is. It
literally fries the brain and destroys memory. It makes users quite lazy.
And it is extremely addictive.

If the reader doesn't agree, I strongly suggest paying attention to how
many defendants on probation in Monroe County find themselves back in jail
because they can't stop using it. In other words, even after they are
instructed by the court at sentencing that they cannot "use" while on
probation, they continue to use, in spite of the fact that they could be
put in jail for it.

In almost 12 years of private practice in both criminal and family law
matters, I am convinced that marijuana is a destructive and insidious drug.

Don't waste your money and don't risk your freedom.

Stay away from it.

Roy Graham