MARIJUANA ASIDE, MORALITY IS NOT THE LAW

To the Editor:

I am concerned about a remark made in the May 9 letter, "Legalize Drugs and
Promote Bad Habits." Writer Amber Rush expresses the opinion that if
marijuana were legalized, "our whole moral system would be thrown out the
window."

In this country, we don't legislate morality. Some people think it is
immoral to eat animal products. Others believe divorce is morally wrong.
But few would seriously suggest we write new laws to ban these activities.

Marijuana smoking has never been shown scientifically to damage brain
function, and possible lung damage has been shown to be on a par with or
less serious than the risks of smoking cigarettes. But no matter how
unhealthy smoking marijuana is for an individual, we don't legislate good
health habits, either. Otherwise, we would need prisons for tobacco
smokers, chocolate lovers and people who stay out in the sun too long.

The above suggestions may seem ludicrous. But unfortunately, they only
mirror how absurd our actual marijuana policies really are. I encourage
anyone interested in this issue to learn more about drug policy reform. You
will find many convincing arguments for change, and strategies that have
the potential to reduce not only drug-related crime but also drug use by
minors.

The system we have now is clearly not working.

Alexandra Meyerson

Bayside