MARIJUANA'S DANGER

Clarence Page's May 28 column favored legalizing marijuana for medicinal
use. I disagree.

Page says marijuana is dangerous, but so are cigarettes, liquor and
prescription drugs. If you follow this logic, why not legalize heroin,
cocaine and other addictive drugs.

Of course, some of us think that kids and people will be less willing to
try these things if they are not made readily available. Will legalization
of marijuana make more of us drug addicts? Yes, say all the studies.

Bottom line, we have made growing up as difficult as we can make it. Add
easy access to marijuana and we have made growing up even more difficult.
No thanks.

Steven R. Bettlach

St. Louis

It seems incredible that after decades we are still debating legalization
of marijuana for medical use. The solution is relatively simple. If it is
for medical use, have marijuana go through the same evaluation as other
drugs. This includes double blind studies at accredited medical centers to
determine effectiveness, appropriate dosage and whatever else is required
of any drug being approved for medical use.

Giving marijuana growers the OK to grow and sell without regulation just
because a "patient" wants it or can talk a "doctor" into prescribing this
particular substance makes no more sense than letting someone open a
penicillin farm or digitalis orchard and selling to the public, without any
regulations.

If there is a substance in the marijuana plant that is useful particularly
if not available in other substances, who could object to having it made
available, if grown, harvested and packaged under the same stringent
regulations as other medications?

Dorothy Saunders, RN

Webster Groves